If LS polls can be held in J&K, why not Assembly elections: Farooq Abdullah

National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said there is "something fishy" in not holding Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) along with Lok Sabha polls.

The former CM also said since the BJP-led Centre is pushing for 'one nation, one election', this was an ideal opportunity. "If there are conducive conditions for Parliamentary elections, how is it not alright for state elections? There is something fishy," Abdullah told PTI Videos.

He said it was sad that the Assembly polls had been delayed even after all the political parties, including the ruling BJP at the Centre, sought an early election. "The NC, BJP leaders from Jammu, other parties that were called by the EC, everyone demanded that there should be both Parliamentary and state elections in J&K. We feel very sad. How long are we going to put up with the lieutenant-governor? If you wanted to win the hearts of people, then this was the start," Abdullah said.

"Four states are going for both Parliamentary and state elections. Why are you denying the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to choose their own government? There must be something brewing in their minds which they cannot do if they have these elections with the Parliamentary polls. I am quite confident that they are not sure about their victory in J&K," Abdullah added.

Asked about the list of NC candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, the former chief minister said it will be announced within a week. "In a week, we will announce the list. If the party decides that I have to fight the election, I will. It is all about the party's decision," the 86-year-old politician said.

Abdullah's son and former chief minister Omar Abdullah said the Election Commission of India (ECI) is unable to conduct simultaneous polls in Jammu and Kashmir even as it has acknowledged that Assembly elections are due in the Union Territory.

"So much for 'One Nation One Election'. The EC is unable to conduct assembly polls in J&K with the general election even when they acknowledge that elections are due #GeneralElection2024," Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.

The EC on Saturday said Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held after the Lok Sabha polls as organising both simultaneously was not viable from a "security point of view".

The NC, which is part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, has decided to contest all three Lok Sabha seats from Kashmir while it is in talks with the Congress for the two seats in Jammu and the lone seat in Ladakh.