Amidst speculations of a National Conference (NC)—BJP post-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Saturday ruled out any such possibility and asserted that the vote which we have got in J&K is the vote against the BJP. He said his party will not forge a post-poll alliance with the BJP to form a government here. “We cannot go with the BJP because the vote which we have got is the vote against the BJP. They created difficulties for Muslims, bulldozed their shops, houses, mosques and schools, do you think we will go with them”, he asked.

The NC leader said the BJP did not give mandate to even a single Muslim in the Lok Sabha polls and nor there is a single Muslim minister in the union cabinet. He said whoever stands with BJP will be finished and said that the bailed out Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid is not a factor in the elections. The NC had called Engineer Rashid a proxy of BJP.

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Abdullah said he has never believed in exit polls. The votes are in the EVM and on 8 October we will know exactly what is in and out. Replying to a question, he said the chief minister candidate will be decided after the results are announced.

The NC had on Friday denied the “unfounded rumours” of back channel talks with the BJP. Those sensing their impending defeat have resorted to spreading such baseless accusations, the party said. Meanwhile, a debate continues on the BJP government at the centre stripping the powers of the chief minister in case a non-BJP government comes to power in J&K. The NC leader and former chief minister, Omar Abdullah wrote on X; “The BJP has clearly accepted defeat in J&K. Why else would the Chief Secretary be assigned the duty to change the transaction of business rules of the government to curtail the powers of the Chief minister / elected government and assign the same to the LG? This information has come to me from within the Secretariat. Officers would be well advised to resist any pressure to further disempower the incoming elected government”, he warned.

PDP candidate and Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti, was also quick to take to X as she wrote; “With LG ‘nominating’ 5 MLAs & Chief Secretary changing transaction of business rules it’s clear that the incoming government will be a toothless tiger. How much more will GOI possibly strip J&K of any semblance of authority & autonomy? Rubberstamp CM = Glorified mayor of a municipality”.

A recently retired top IAS officer, Ashok Parmar, was quick in replying; “Don’t worry. After 8th October, 2024, bureaucracy and LG will face the real problem after formation of popular Government when people get hold of MLAs and MLAs get hold of Chief Minister and Ministers. Finally all of them will have to approach Raj Bhavan to get water, electricity, roads and jobs without fear of illegal detentions. Always remember, Jammu-Kashmir is not Delhi. After assembly formation, LG needs to be more sensible and concerned for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Better he winds up his Mulaqaat and Awaam ki Awaaz programmes in which he is wasting time and energy of entire bureaucracy, Deputy Commissioners, SSPs. He posted more than 30 IAS/JKAS officers for doing nothing in Public Grievances redressal Department and all officers are frustrated with him”, Parmar claimed.