National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the ensuing District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that “the poll is fast becoming a farce and also exposes the hollow claims of the Centre and the improved security situation in Union Territory”. “The election is fast becoming a farce and also exposes the hollow claims of both the Centre and state about the improved security situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah tweeted. The DDC elections will be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in eight phases between November 28 and December 19, and the counting of votes will take place on December 22. On Wednesday, Abdullah had questioned the rationale behind holding DDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir as he claimed candidates were being stopped from campaigning on security grounds. He had alleged non-BJP candidates in fray for the elections were stopped from campaigning, while the Jammu and Kashmir administration was going out of its way to help the BJP. “What sort of elections are being held in J&K where candidates are being stopped from campaigning? Is this the safe, terror-free J&K the Home Minister was tweeting about yesterday,” he had said in a tweet. “The J&K administration is going out of its way to help the BJP and it is recently created king’s party by locking up candidates opposed to the BJP, using security as an excuse. If the security situation isn’t conducive to campaigning what was the need to announce elections,” he had asked in another tweet. On November 17, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration wants foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that Indian people will no longer tolerate an “unholy global gathbandhan” against national interest. “The Gupkar Gang is going global! They want foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir. The Gupkar Gang also insults India’s Tricolour. Do Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji support such moves of the Gupkar Gang? They should make their stand crystal clear to the people of India,” Shah tweeted. Parties including the National Conference, PDP, Peoples Conference and CPI(M), formed the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration and are fighting the maiden DDC elections together.
