Bickering within the ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir came to the fore on Thursday when the "sulking" Congress skipped Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's election rally in Nagrota, organized to mobilize support for National Conference (NC) candidate Shamim Begum in the upcoming byelection.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addressed his first election rally in support of Shamim Begum, the NC candidate for the Nagrota bypoll. While addressing the gathering, Abdullah made it clear that the results of the byelections to the two Assembly seats would not alter the composition of the government. However, he urged voters to back Shamim Begum for the overall development of the constituency.
He emphasized the need for continued progress and stability in the region. "This byelection is not going to change the composition of the present government, but the victory of the National Conference candidate will ensure acceleration of developmental activities in this constituency," he said, without directly referring to the Congress's absence from the event.
After the launch of the election campaign, Congress leaders had stated that they would join the canvassing at an appropriate time. However, so far, no Congress leader has joined the campaign trail.
NC fielded candidate after Congress declined seat
Shamim Begum's candidacy emerged as a last-minute decision by the NC after Congress declined to contest the seat. Sources within the coalition indicated that the Congress had initially shown interest but later backed out, paving the way for the NC to field Begum at the eleventh hour.
Despite being part of the coalition, no Congress leaders—neither local representatives nor senior functionaries—attended the rally, fuelling speculation about internal rifts.
Political observers had anticipated that the Congress would lend its support during the final phases of campaigning, especially with senior NC leaders, including Omar Abdullah, taking the stage. "The expectation was for a united front, particularly as the byelection tests the coalition's strength after the recent Assembly polls," said one analyst. "Today's absence raises questions about coordination and commitment within the alliance."
As reported earlier, Congress, annoyed over being denied a "safe seat" in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections, had refused to contest the Nagrota byelection despite the NC offering the seat to the grand old party.
The byelection was necessitated following the demise of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana, whose daughter Divyani Rana is contesting the election as the BJP candidate. With campaigning intensifying, all eyes are now on whether the Congress will rally behind Begum in the remaining days or if the divide will deepen, potentially impacting voter turnout and alliance dynamics.
Omar leaves rally midway after technical glitch
In a brief but dramatic moment, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah left the stage midway after the microphone malfunctioned during his speech. Abdullah had spoken for less than five minutes when the mike stopped working.
He tried to continue addressing the crowd without amplification but could not be heard due to the size of the gathering. After standing on the stage for a couple of minutes, he waved to the audience and left without completing his address.
