I.N.D.I.A.bloc on life support, risks being wheeled into ICU: Omar Abdullah

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc is currently "on life support" and risks being wheeled into the "ICU" due to infighting and a failure to match the BJP's round-the-clock election machine.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, Abdullah detailed the “organisational and strategic failures” of the opposition bloc, contrasting its approach with the BJP’s "unparalleled" work ethic.

Talking about the INDIA bloc's current health, particularly in the aftermath of the recent Bihar elections, Abdullah said, "We're sort of on life support, but every once in a while, somebody brings out his paddles and gives us a bit of a shock, and we get up again. But then, unfortunately, results like Bihar happen, and we slump down again, and then somebody has to wheel us into the ICU.” Abdullah also blamed the INDIA bloc for the return of Nitish Kumar to the BJP-led NDA, saying, "I believe that we pushed Nitish Kumar back into the arms of the NDA." He also pointed to the alliance's failure to take a cohesive view, citing the decision to consciously exclude the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) from the Bihar seat-sharing arrangement despite the party's presence in the state.

Abdullah compared the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s electioneering to that of the BJP, and said the opposition alliance is structurally unable to compete with the ruling party's disciplined approach.

“They have an unparalleled election machine,” he said, noting that this strength goes beyond mere organisation and funding.

"They also have an incredible work ethic in terms of how they deal with elections... They fight every election as if their lives depend on it. We sometimes fight elections as if we don't care," he said.

Abdullah emphasised the 24x7 model of politics pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team, and said that "no sooner has one election finished, they've already moved into the next territory... We will move into those states two months before the elections. We will be lucky if we sew up our electoral alliances before the last date of filing nominations”.

Looking ahead, Abdullah said the only way for the opposition to mount a serious challenge (to the BJP) is to rally around its largest constituent – the Congress – the only party other than the BJP to have a pan-India presence.

Acknowledging that regional parties are constrained by their limited geographical reach, he said, "The heavy lifting will have to be done by the Congress." Regarding the Muslim electorate, Abdullah suggested that the traditional recipients of the Muslim vote have "made a mistake" by taking the community for granted, and only engaging with them just before elections, leading to a churn that benefits parties like AIMIM, which are willing to "espouse our cause for the entire period of five years”.

Asked if it meant that the results of the 2024 general elections were a fluke, Abdullah said, "No, I think the country sent a message to the Central government, to Prime Minister Modi and others in 2024 that things are not as rosy as you made them out to be, and that we are not happy with some of the decisions that have been taken.” He also said that post the 2024 elections, the Centre changed its approach and showed that it can work in an alliance format as well.

“Hardly any of us remember today that it's an alliance government. We all felt that the style of functioning of this government did not lend itself to a UPA or NDA-type situation. I for one hardly ever remember that this is a prime minister who is actually dependent on two of his allies," Abdullah said, adding that the Centre reoriented its way of doing things, of carrying people along.

"I mean, from calling it a BJP government, they called themselves an NDA government. These are small changes, but they matter," he said.

Abdullah, who has always distanced himself from the widespread political charge that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are rigged, said, "I have never been a supporter of those who say that the machines are rigged." However, he drew a distinction between rigging and electoral manipulation, which he believes is a valid concern.

"Elections can be manipulated. And the easiest way to manipulate an election is to do it through the voter list or through the way in which you structure constituencies," he said.

Abdullah pointed to the recent delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it "essentially manipulation", and argued that the exercise, which created new constituencies designed to benefit "one party and its one ally" by rejigging voter lists and excluding specific sections of voters, amounts to manipulating an election.

He concluded by saying that any process that involves altering the voter list, such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), must be done "transparently" and "fairly" to prevent questions about bias.

On a lighter note, Abdullah said his personal stance on EVMs puts him at odds with his father, Farooq Abdullah, who is convinced of rigging, saying, "My dad believes everything he gets on WhatsApp."