Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Friday claimed that the People’s Democratic Party was not contesting the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections to win, but to bring back Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the Valley. This comes after PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her daughter Iltija Mufti said that their party would emerge as the “kingmaker” in the upcoming polls.
“When PDP and its chief’s daughter (Iltija Mufti) gave the statement that ‘they will be kingmakers after this election’, it was proved that they were not contesting these elections to win, but they were contesting to bring back BJP in power,” Abdullah said.
Recalling PDP’s allaince with the saffron party in 2014, the JKNC leader alleged: “They similarly included BJP in the government in 2014, and we are bearing the consequences today. Their intentions again are the same.”
VIDEO | Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2024: “When PDP and its chief’s daughter (Iltija Mufti) gave the statement that ‘they will be kingmakers after this election’, it was proved that they were not contesting these elections to win, but they were contesting to bring back BJP in… pic.twitter.com/4ckT966BrW
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 13, 2024
‘We Will Be The Kingmakers’: Mehbooba Mufti
During an interview with India Today on September 11, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti spoke about her decision to not contest the Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2024. She said : ‘I have been one of the most powerful chief ministers. We had our assembly, our own residuary power, our own flag, I was the only chief minister who wrote a letter to separatists inviting them for dialogue. Nobody has done that.. I was the chief minister who withdrew FIRs against 12,000 youngsters who were propagating dialogue all the time… CMs don’t do this…I even dropped two BJP ministers for standing with rapists…I could take any decision inspite of being in alliance with BJP then…”
“They have reduced Jammu and Kashmir to a Union Territory, they have reduced the government to a municipality…My heart bleeds when I don’t see my flag along with the national flag and I don’t see our Constitution with the Indian Constitution…I don’t feel like fighting elections,” Mufti further stated.
“Our party is fighting elections…We will be the kingmakers..If god willing there is a chance that we will choose chief minister from PDP,” the PDP chief added.
She also said that PDP’s alliance with the BJP did not last as the people were not happy with this coalition. Asked if PDP will be kingmaker then who’ll be the king, Mufti clarified: “We will be kingmaker in the sense that no government will be formed without our support…King can be from our PDP.”
‘Very Confident That PDP Will Be Kingmaker’: Iltija Mufti
Following the “kingmaker” remark made by her mother, Iltija Mufti on Thursday joined her mother as she voiced a similar claim for PDP. “I am very confident that the PDP will be the kingmaker in whatever situation we are. One thing is clear that no party will get majority” she asserted.
Iltija Mufti is contesting the J&K Assembly polls from PDP stronghold of Srigufwara-Bijbehra. This assembly segment was represented by her mother Mehbooba Mufti as well as grandfather Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Responding to whether PDP would support the NC-Congress alliance in case it fell short of seats to form a government, she said that it was too early to comment on this situation, news agency PTI reported.
“Besides, I am contesting for MLA, I am not the party president. It is better if you ask this to Mehbooba Mufti,” she added.
She also termed the current status of the Valley merely a little more than that of a “municipality”.
