Says What ‘Thuggery’ People Have Gone Through
JKNC Refutes Rumors of ‘Back Channel’ Talks, Calls Accusations ‘Baseless’
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Oct 04: Ahead of the pivotal date of October 8, when the results of the Assembly Elections are to be announced, Sajad Lone, the president of the Jammu Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), has expressed his concerns regarding certain leaders traveling to Delhi, suggesting they are “off to meet their masters.”
Lone took to the micro-blogging platform X, stating, “And now off to Delhi to meet their masters. What thuggery the people have endured.”
People’s Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone contested from two seats – Handwara and Kupwara – in this assembly election.
In the Handwara seat, Lone was in competition with NC leader Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, who has won the seat four times. Other candidates were PDP’s Gauhar Azad Mir, BJP’s Ghulam Mohammad Mir, and Abdul Majid Banday of the Awami Ittehad Party.
In the Kupwara seat, Lone faced Nasir Aslam Wani of the NC, Fayaz Mir of the PDP, and Peerzada Firdous of the Awami Ittehad Party. In 2014, Lone’s party colleague Bashir Ahmad Dar won the Kupwara seat.
Earlier this year, Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, won the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat by defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Sajad Lone with a huge margin.
Top sources revealed to The Web Story/The Varmul Post that some prominent political figures departed for Delhi on Thursday. This movement not only disrupts the already tense political landscape in Kashmir but also raises significant questions.
Sources indicate that, with the Assembly election results approaching on October 8, Kashmir’s political climate is rife with turmoil, accompanied by rumors about various political alliances and potential government formations.
Adding to the existing tension, former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu tweeted, “Rumors? The NC-BJP negotiations have taken place in Pahalgam, led by Dr. Farooq Abdullah himself, with ‘apolitical’ mediators present. Let NC deny this—I will gladly share the names, details, venue, and times of the two meetings.”
In a follow-up tweet, Mattu remarked, “It seems like it was merely coincidental that BJP emissaries and the NC President were in Pahalgam on the same days at the same time. How naïve of us!”
The National Conference responded to these rumors, stating, “JKNC categorically denies the unfounded claims of ‘back channel’ talks with any party outside the INDIA Bloc. Those anticipating their defeat have resorted to spreading such baseless accusations. We urge the public, who have placed their trust in us, to disregard these false claims and not be swayed by rumor-mongering.”
Last week, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah asserted, “It would signify the death of my politics if I were to ally with the Modi-led BJP,” when journalist Barkha Dutt inquired whether he might consider such a move for political survival.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina expressed confidence that the party will emerge as the single largest faction in the ongoing Assembly elections, claiming it will form the next government in the Union Territory. Raina pointed to a record voter turnout across all three phases as evidence of the BJP’s impending absolute majority on October 8. “Given the significant voter turnout, we are confident that a majority government will be formed by the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.”
In contrast, Congress senior leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir has predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party is unlikely to secure more than 10-12 seats in Jammu. He stated, “The BJP will not even have the opportunity to participate in forming a government, let alone lead one themselves. I foresee them obtaining no more than 10-12 seats. Apart from the alliance of JKNC and Congress, no other party in Jammu and Kashmir can win 30-35 seats. Therefore, the BJP lacks any other viable alliance partner in the Union Territory.”
