SRINAGAR: BJP leader Ram Madhav has acknowledged the National Conference’s (NC) return to power in Jammu and Kashmir with a significant mandate as the most striking outcome of the election. He called the NC’s victory “the significant outcome of this election,” as the party secured 42 seats in the newly delimited 90-member assembly, positioning itself to form a government.
In an op-ed in The Indian Express, Madhav, however, criticised Omar Abdullah for his sudden shift on the Article 370 issue, which had been central to the NC’s campaign. He noted that despite the NC’s claims that their victory was a rejection of the Centre’s August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370, Abdullah made a “somersault” on the day of the results by stating that restoring Article 370 was “not a priority”. Madhav remarked, “Interestingly, nobody is protesting in the Valley, proving that there are no tears to be shed for Article 370 anymore.”
The BJP leader highlighted the regional divide in voting patterns, pointing out that while the NC won big in the Kashmir Valley, it was completely rejected in Jammu. The BJP won 29 seats, primarily from the six Hindu-majority districts of Jammu, while the NC failed to secure any representation from this region. Madhav emphasised that “what Omar Abdullah overlooked was the rejection of NC by the entire Jammu region,” challenging Abdullah’s characterisation of the results as a rejection of the BJP.
Madhav also acknowledged the BJP’s growing appeal, even in the Muslim-dominated districts of Pir Panchal and Chenab Valley, where the NC and its allies performed well. While the BJP won only one seat in these districts, it put forward several prominent Muslim candidates and secured a substantial vote share, signaling a shift in its outreach efforts.
The BJP leader who was at the core of negotiations in 2014-15 when the BJPDP government tookover has urged Omar to shift his focus towards development and governance, embracing a “non-confrontationist approach with the Centre.” He advised Omar to move forward with Prime Minister Modi’s vision, emphasising that the BJP’s tough decisions in Jammu and Kashmir were motivated by a “love for Kashmir” and the desire for progress, not by animosity toward the region.