"Something Fishy": Farooq Abdullah On No Simultaneous Polls In J&K

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said there is "something fishy" in not holding the Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha polls.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also said as the BJP-led Centre is pushing for "one nation, one election", this was an opportunity for it.

"If there are conducive conditions for the parliamentary election, how is it not alright for the state election? There is something fishy," Abdullah told PTI Videos.

He said it was sad that the Assembly polls have been delayed even after all the political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought an early election.

"The NC, the BJP leaders from Jammu, the other parties that were called by the EC, everyone demanded that there should be both parliamentary and state elections here. We feel very sad. How long are we going to put up with the lieutenant governor? If you want to win the hearts of people, then this was the start," Abdullah said.

He said the Centre is pushing for "one nation, one election" and this was an opportunity for it.

"Four states are going for both parliamentary and state elections. Why are you denying the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to choose their own government? There must be something brewing in their minds which they cannot do if they have these elections with the parliamentary polls. I am quite confident that they are not sure about their victory here," Abdullah added.

Asked about the list of NC candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, the former chief minister said it will be announced within a week.

"In a week, we will announce the list. If the party decides that I have to fight the election, I will. It is all about the party's decision," the 86-year-old politician said.

NC leader Omar Abdullah said the Election Commission (EC) is unable to conduct simultaneous polls in Jammu and Kashmir even as it has acknowledged that the Assembly election is due in the Union Territory.

"So much for 'One Nation One Election'. The EC is unable to conduct assembly polls in J&K with the general election even when they acknowledge that elections are due #GeneralElection2024," he said in a post on X.

The EC on Saturday said the Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir will be held after the Lok Sabha polls as organising both simultaneously is not viable from the security point of view.

The NC, which is part of the INDIA opposition bloc, has decided to contest all the three Lok Sabha seats from Kashmir while it is in talks with the Congress for the two seats in Jammu and the lone seat in Ladakh.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)