‘No expectations from Election Commission’: Omar Abdullah demands polls in Jammu and Kashmir

Omar Abdullah, National Conference (NC) vice-president, on Saturday said that he had “no hopes or expectations from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as it has failed to restore democracy in J&K”.

Omar asked the ECI to hold assembly and Lok Sabha polls in J&K simultaneously as from last one decade there had been no assembly polls in J&K. On Saturday the ECI will be holding a press conference in New Delhi in which dates for the Lok Sabha poll will be announced by the commission.

The former J&K chief minister said that he has “no expectations” from the ECI. “The mission of the ECI is to restore democracy in the country. In J&K there have been no elections in the last 10 years,” he said.

He said, “Former President Ram Nath Kovind has proposed a report about ‘One nation and one election’. And if you can’t start this from J&K, then what hopes one should have,” he said.

“Our (J&K’s) assembly elections are to be held. This is a golden chance, let them (ECI) announce dates for both Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the UT,” he added.

When Omar was asked if any meeting of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) was scheduled for the next week, he said, “I have nothing to do with the PAGD. I am not a member of the alliance, and this question should be asked from the office-bearers of the PAGD.”

He said that he is a member of the National Conference. “If there is any meeting, you can ask Farooq Abdullah,” he said.

Omar, who has said that the NC has decided to contest the polls from all three Lok Sabha seats of Kashmir, said that candidates will be announced at an appropriate time. “Nobody can force us. We will announce the names of our candidates whenever we feel we should do it,” he said.