Result is a rejection of what the BJP has done to Jammu and Kashmir

OMAR ABDULLAH, CHAIRPERSON, NATIONAL CONFERENCE

- TARIQ BHAT

Q/ You received an impressive mandate.

A/ I am pleasantly surprised. We were not expecting such a stupendous response from the people. We were worried about vote division with a large number of independents and smaller parties propped up in this election. But all credit goes to the wisdom of the voters, who saw through this and defeated it.

Q/ Do you think the mandate your party received is a pushback from the people against the BJP’s decision to abrogate Article 370?

A/ It is a rejection of what was done to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. And I am also including all the seats outside the BJP’s kitty—whether bagged by independents, the People’s Conference, the Peoples Democratic Party, or the alliance. This is a rejection of what the BJP did.

Q/ Were you nervous about the results of your two constituencies?

A/ Obviously. But my contesting from two seats had nothing to do with my nervousness. I was nervous about the elections as a whole, particularly in light of the Baramulla parliamentary results, which were bound to have an impact.

Q/ What about the performance of your alliance partner? Do you feel the Congress let you down? A/

I am not going to get into that. They could have done better, but I’m grateful for every single seat we won and that we crossed the halfway mark. That was more important.