NEW DELHI, Oct 7: A day before the announcement of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly poll results, the Congress has launched a strong accusation against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the party is engaging in “malicious tactics” and abusing its power to undermine the democratic mandate favoring the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance. The Congress claims it will actively oppose what it describes as the BJP’s “nefarious designs.”
In a post on social media platform X, Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, stated, “Facing imminent defeat, the BJP is resorting to desperate maneuvers to engineer a majority, hoping for a hung assembly to facilitate their manipulation.” He asserted that the BJP is aware of the clear mandate given by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the INC-NC alliance and is attempting to disrupt this democratic outcome.
Ramesh further criticized the BJP for employing what he called their “self-proclaimed bogus ‘Chanakya-niti’” to sabotage the election results. He claimed, “We have substantial evidence that malicious steps are being taken through a questionable and malafide exercise of power to reverse the people’s verdict in favor of the INC-NC alliance.” He assured that the Congress would take all necessary actions to counter such efforts, reiterating that the party would not allow these “nefarious designs” to succeed.
Additionally, the Congress General Secretary in charge of the organization, K C Venugopal, expressed concern over the integrity of the electoral process, warning of a potential threat to the people’s mandate. “The INC-NC alliance is poised for a historic victory, but the BJP is unwilling to accept the democratic verdict and is attempting to subvert it through every available means,” Venugopal stated. He further emphasized that Congress is vigilant and prepared to counter any such attempts to hijack democracy, underscoring that the misuse of institutions and the central government’s powers to alter the election outcome would not be tolerated.
According to exit polls released on Saturday, the NC-Congress alliance is projected to lead, with the regional party expected to secure the majority of seats. The BJP, while anticipated to improve slightly from its tally of 25 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls, is not predicted to match the alliance’s numbers. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which won 28 seats in the 2014 elections, is expected to secure fewer than 10 seats this time around.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hamid Karra expressed confidence that the INC-NC alliance would achieve a “comfortable majority” in the elections. He also indicated that the alliance remains open to collaborating with like-minded parties and individuals to prevent the BJP from gaining power. Addressing the possibility of the Lieutenant Governor nominating five MLAs who could influence government formation, Karra argued that such a move would amount to “rigging the poll results,” contradicting democratic principles and undermining the will of the people.
The elections in Jammu and Kashmir were conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The vote count is scheduled for Tuesday, and the outcome will determine the future political landscape of the Union Territory.