Delhi polls: Omar Abdullah blames INDIA bloc infighting as BJP takes early lead
The Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has flagged and constituents including TMC and SP backed the AAP against Congress in Delhi
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday appeared to blame Congress for chipping away Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) votes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took an early lead in Delhi amid the continuing flagging of the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The constituents of the bloc including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party backed the AAP in the Delhi polls and campaigned for it.
“Aur lado aapas mein [and continue fighting each other]!!!” Abdullah quote posted a post from the digital platform DeKoder on X quoting political analyst Manisha Priyam suggesting Congress was chipping away votes from AAP as it appeared to be losing.
Abdullah’s cryptic post came a month after he regretted a lack of clarity on the part of the INDIA bloc leadership and said the grouping should be wound up if it was formed only for the parliamentary elections. He maintained there was no time-frame attached to the bloc.
He had asked AAP, Congress, and other parties in the bloc to take the call on how they effectively compete against the BJP in Delhi. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav earlier said that the bloc was only for the Lok Sabha polls.
Abdullah, who has faced criticism for cosying up to the BJP, in January said the issue was that no meeting of the INDIA bloc was being convened. He added whether the alliance will continue was also unclear.
The AAP and the Congress were at loggerheads and traded allegations ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly polls. The two INDIA bloc constituents contested the polls separately even as they fought the 2024 national election together in Delhi.
The AAP in December sought Congress’s removal from the bloc if it did not take action against its leaders for their statements against Delhi’s ruling party and for allegedly receiving the BJP’s funding. It accused Congress’s Delhi unit of working with the BJP to ensure AAP’s defeat in the Delhi polls.
Key constituents of the INDIA bloc earlier backed Banerjee to head it amid growing calls for a shake-up within the coalition. The grouping has flagged since it did well in the national polls as the BJP fell short of the halfway mark of 272 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha for the first time since 2014, making it dependent on allies to form the government.
Banerjee has said she was willing to lead the coalition if given an opportunity. INDIA bloc of around two dozen parties was formed last year to counter the BJP.
The AAP-Congress tensions escalated in December as Delhi Congress unveiled a “white paper” citing BJP and AAP’s mismanagement and unkept promises. Delhi Pradesh’s Youth Congress filed a police complaint against Kejriwal and AAP for misleading voters and fraud.
The AAP accused Congress of fielding candidates with the sole goal of damaging its prospects.