Ahead of the vote counting, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah stated that his party is open to the possibility of seeking support from Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP to form a government in the Union Territory.
On Monday, he criticised the decision to grant the Lieutenant Governor authority to nominate members to the five reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and stated that his party would take the matter to the Supreme Court if the BJP-led Centre proceeded with the move.
Declaring himself out of the contest for the position of chief minister, Abdullah stated that Jammu and Kashmir must reclaim its statehood in order to provide the incoming government with the authority to deal with the problems affecting people.
“The statehood should be restored, full statehood, where the government has the power to do things. I will not be the CM. Let this one thing be clear. I have done my chief minister’s job. My problem will be how we make a strong government and how we fulfil the agenda that we have put before the people,” he said.
When asked if the National Conference-Congress alliance is open to PDP support during a dire situation, Abdullah responded, “Why not?”
“How does it matter? If we all work for the same thing, for improvement in the conditions of the people of the state, removing unemployment, removing all the distress that has occurred in the last 10 years. The first thing we should do is restore the freedom of the press. We should have the right to say what is true and what is not true. We can be rivals in elections, but I have no objections and I am sure Congress will have no objections,” he said.
The five reserved seats are allocated for two women, two Kashmiri migrants, and one for refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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