NC will announce Lok Sabha candidates after Eid: Omar
Refuses to comment on Lal Singh’s Congress entry, terms it party’s internal matter
Ali Asad
Srinagar, Mar 21 (KNO): National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah clearing air over announcement of candidates for the coming LS polls said on Thursday that the party will make the announcement only after Eid-ul-Fitr.
Omar’s remarks came in response to a question regarding the selection of National Conference candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir. He stated that the party would reveal the names of its candidates at an appropriate time. “We will announce our candidates at the right time. Voting is to be held in the third, fourth and fifth phases in our constituencies. There is still plenty of time. Let us celebrate Eid first.”
Talking to reporters, as peer news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Omar accused the BJP of hypocrisy, pointing to its alliances with dynastic political families such as Chirag Paswan in Bihar and recent meetings between senior BJP leaders and Raj Thackeray in Maharashtra. He questioned whether these actions did not amount to nepotism or family politics. “BJP has no problem with dynastic families. They have a problem with families who oppose them. And I am proud to say that I oppose the BJP,” Omar said.
He further cited examples such as the BJP’s alliance with Chirag Paswan in Bihar and meetings between Amit Shah and Raj Thackeray, questioning the BJP’s selective stance on dynasty politics.
Responding to inquiries about former BJP leader Chaudhary Lal Singh’s return to the Congress, Abdullah refrained from commenting, stating that it was an internal matter of the Congress party. Lal Singh, who defected to the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is speculated to be a contender for the Congress ticket in Udhampur—(KNO)
