New Delhi, Omar Abdullah, the vice-president of the National Conference, has publicly expressed his disappointment, albeit without surprise, over the Election Commission of India’s (EC) decision to not conduct Assembly elections in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) alongside the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. This statement comes amid heightened anticipation for the restoration of democratic processes in the region.
According to Kashmir Media Service, during his participation in a debate focused on the INDIA bloc and the opposition’s strategies in New Delhi, Abdullah highlighted the missed opportunity for implementing the “one nation, one election” policy. He critiqued the inability of the EC, the Jammu and Kashmir administration, and the Indian government to synchronize the electoral processes as a failure to adhere to their own advocated principles.
Abdullah pointed out the significant lapse of time—10 years—since the last Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir, underscoring the contradiction between the government’s portrayal of normalcy in the region and the reality of its political disenfranchisement. His comments underline the ongoing debate on the central government’s handling of Jammu and Kashmir’s political landscape and the broader implications for democracy in the region.