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.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
