The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday trained its guns on the Congress after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah publicly distanced the INDIA bloc from the Congress’s “vote chori” allegations.
Abdullah clarified that the opposition alliance had no role in the campaign being led by the Congress, a statement that the BJP said weakened the credibility of the Congress’s claims.
BJP Says Congress Narrative ‘Exposed’
Reacting to Abdullah’s remarks, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said the National Conference leader’s comments had “exposed the lack of coordination and credibility” in the Congress’s narrative.
“When allies disown such serious allegations, it reflects poorly on the Congress leadership,” Malviya said in a post on X, calling the episode an embarrassment for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
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Congress Pursuing ‘Vote Chori’ Campaign
The Congress has accused the BJP and election authorities of attempting to undermine voting rights and has launched a nationwide “vote chori” campaign. The party has claimed it collected nearly six crore signatures and plans to submit them to the President of India.
The allegations were raised at a rally in the national capital a day before Abdullah’s clarification.
INDIA Bloc Distances Itself
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah said each party within the INDIA alliance was free to pursue its own political agenda.
“The INDIA bloc has nothing to do with it. The Congress has chosen ‘vote chori’ and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as its issues. Who are we to stop them?” he said.
The National Conference, led by Abdullah, is a constituent of the INDIA alliance, in which the Congress is the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
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Election Commission Remarks and Bihar Results
While Abdullah has earlier raised concerns over the conduct of the Election Commission during the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar, he said such concerns should not be conflated with the Congress’s political messaging.
Following the Bihar Assembly election results, where the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan suffered a defeat, Abdullah said the outcome was more surprising than his party’s loss in the Budgam bypoll. He credited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for turning anti-incumbency into an advantage by focusing on governance and welfare measures, particularly for women.
