National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday accused the Election Commission of delaying assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir because of the “fear factor” of the BJP to face the polls.

Omar, who was talking to media persons in Srinagar after the NC-Congress alliance swept Kargil LAHDC polls, said that neither the Union Government nor the BJP is ready to hold elections in J&K.

He alleged that the BJP would not even hold the Lok Sabha elections in J&K if the party had its way.

“Holding the Lok Sabha elections is a compulsion for them. After yesterday’s Kargil results, I fear the Assembly elections in J&K are going to be delayed further because the BJP is sure of its defeat,” he said.

Omar said that as a political party, it is understandable why the BJP does not want elections in J&K. But I am “disappointed” with the Election Commission because in today’s press conference the Chief Election Commissioner said that the dates for the J&K Assembly elections would be announced after considering all the factors.

“I want to ask the Election Commissioner, what are these factors? The fact is that there is only one factor and that is the fear factor,” he said.

“Till now the BJP was hiding behind the Lieutenant Governor and now they are hiding behind the Election Commission,” Omar added.

He said the sweeping victory of the NC-Congress alliance in Kargil’s Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections is the result of the people’s anger against the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

Omar thanked the people of Kargil for reposing trust in his party and the Congress and also for the defeat of the BJP in these elections.

“The BJP will now say that it was because of the Muslim majority voters in Kargil. I want to ask them if the division of J&K done on 5 August 2019 was on a religious basis. If that was so, then I must remind the BJP that Ladakh is a Muslim majority region, although there is a sizable number of the Buddhist population there. We did not fight these elections on the basis of religion. This is proved by the fact that our elected councilor from Padam seat in these elections is a Buddhist,” said Omar.

“The fact is that development and religion are non-issues in Ladakh right now. The only issue this time is the bifurcation of the state. The BJP had been telling the world that the people of Ladakh wanted separation from Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370. But these elections have shown that the people in Ladakh are as angry on these two issues as those in Kashmir and the Jammu division,” he said.

He questioned the recent statement of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in which he said that 80 percent of J&K’s people wanted the present dispensation to continue.

“I don’t know where that survey was held? If they were giving marks to themselves, then why leave the 20 per cent? Why not say that 100 per cent people do not want elections in J&K,” he said. Digit 80 seems to have become a favourite of the administration for quoting in every achievement they showcase.

Omar said the same excuse can be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then they can decide that the Lok Sabha elections are not needed in the country.