Loss in assembly elections failure of Congress, not of INDIA bloc: Omar Abdullah

Omar while speaking to the media on the sidelines of birth anniversary of National Conference Founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in Srinagar said that the constituent parties contested the assembly elections on their own so it cannot be called the failure of the INDIA opposition bloc, but it is the failure of the Congress party.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Vice President of National Conference Omar Abdullah has said that the BJP's win in the three state assembly elections was not the failure of the opposition bloc INDIA, but the failure of the Congress as the constituent parties were contesting the elections separately.

Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of the birth anniversary of National Conference Founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on the banks of the Dal lake, Omar said in the state elections, the Congress “made a mistake by not contesting the elections with the INDIA opposition bloc and some leaders of the INDIA bloc made false statements during the elections”.

He said that it is the Congress, which has lost in these elections and not INDIA bloc. “The state elections were not fought by the alliance, but different parties contested on their own. Thus it is not the defeat of the INDIA alliance, but to some failure of the Congress party,” Omar Abdullah said. Pertinently, the BJP won the assembly elections in three states the results of which were declared on Sunday.

The BJP won in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan while the Congress won in Telangana. Omar Abdullah said that the “misrepresentation of the participants of the INDIA bloc had a negative impact on these elections and the alliance will try to correct it in the future”. The next meeting of the INDIA bloc will be held at Malik Arjun Kharge's residence in Delhi to which the National Conference and PDP and other participants have been invited.

Omar said that his party has received an invitation and he will attend the meeting.