Omar Abdullah says no post-poll alliance with BJP, will accept people's mandate

Ruling out any post-assembly election alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that his tweets about conferring Bharat Ratna to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were misconstrued completely.

Omar Abdullah says no post-poll alliance with BJP, will accept people's mandate

Srinagar: A day ahead of the Assembly poll results, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday ruled out any possibility of an alliance between the ruling National Conference (NC) in the state and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing a press conference here, Omar said, “No lines of communication open between NC and BJP or for that matter with Congress or PDP. It is inconceivable for a party like NC to go with the BJP.”

Hitting out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, Omar said, “If they were ready for the floods why were the boats not in Srinagar?”

Reacting over a tweet which he posted yesterday about Bharat Ratna to former prime minister and veteran BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Omar said, “Don't read more into my tweet than there is. It was not meant to warm up to the BJP ahead of results.”

"When the UPA government announced its list of recipients of the Bharat Ratna, both my father (former CM Farooq Abdullah) and I were critical that Vajpayee's name had been omitted. We had said it that time that it would have been a fitting gesture for the UPA to have conferred this award on him," Abdullah told mediapersons here.

He further thanked the people for the outstanding voter turnout in the state, “I thank people of J&K for voting in such large numbers, whatever their decision its important that democracy has been upheld,” Omar said.

“This press conference was to thank you all and people of J&K. I look forward to serve J&K in whatever capacity you let me,” he added.

Answering a question on the poll results, Omar said, “We will accept the people’s mandate. It is the matter of immense pride and pleasure that I have served the people of Jammu & Kashmir for six years now.”

He added, “There is not a single decision that I have taken as a chief minister that I would call a blunder.”

However, Omar said, “There are aspects of last six years that I'll carry some regrets about but made no secret of those regret.”

“2010 killing is the biggest regret, also I regret the inability to revoke AFSPA,” he told reporter.

Counting of votes will be held tomorrow in J&K and Jharkhand which witnessed a record turnout in a multi-cornered contest to elect a new government.

The five-phase election in the two states which stretched for nearly a month saw 66 percent voting with authorities making massive security arrangements to prevent any attempts by militants or Maoists to disrupt the polls respectively in J&K and Jharkhand.

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