Omar promises to revoke PSA if voted to power
Srinagar, Aug 30: Senior National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah Friday said that the pre-poll alliance with Congress for the upcoming assembly elections was a challenging decision and his party had to ‘sacrifice’ several seats.
Speaking at a rally at the party’s headquarters in Srinagar, he acknowledged the difficulties faced in forming this alliance but emphasized it’s importance in countering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir.
“National Conference had to sacrifice those seats where we knew only the NC could put up a tough fight. There are some areas in Jammu, Rajouri, and Poonch where NC and Congress could effectively challenge the BJP. That is why Congress was given some seats to contest from our share,” Omar said, who is contesting from the Ganderbal constituency.
Under the seat-sharing agreement, NC will contest 51 seats, while Congress will contest 32. Additionally, five seats will witness a “friendly contest” between the two allies. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Panthers Party will also contest one seat each.
Omar, the former chief minister, said that the upcoming assembly elections are not just a battle for the NC but for the entire Jammu and Kashmir. “If we have to undo the wrongs done to us, it will not only benefit us but every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. We are fighting this battle collectively for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. That is why we joined hands with the Congress,” he said.
He claimed that the alliance’s impact was felt immediately, as former Congress leader and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad announced he would not campaign for his party.
“The first impact of the alliance was that Azad will not campaign and has asked his party candidates to decide whether to contest or not,” he said.
The NC leader also made a significant promise, stating that if NC is elected to power, it would revoke the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We have witnessed many problems. PSA has been used blindly. We have promised in our manifesto that if NC forms the government, we will revoke the PSA so that there is no scope for its misuse,” he said, also pledging to halt the arrests of youths.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4. As the elections approach, the Congress-NC alliance will be closely scrutinized, particularly in key battlegrounds as they seek to challenge the BJP’s influence in the region.
