STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday termed Lok Sabha MP Aga Ruhullah’s absence from the recent Budgam bypoll campaign as “political suicide” and also said that the National Conference would soon analyse the reasons for defeat in Budgam and Nagrota.
Abdullah’s comment came while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function following the NC’s electoral setback in Budgam. He contested from the Budgam and Ganderbal seats during the 2024 elections and won both, later vacating the Budgam seat.
The chief minister announced a comprehensive internal review of the results, but did not mince words in discussing the political ramifications of the Budgam results and Ruhullah’s decision to abstain from campaigning. “There is an English proverb – you cut your nose to spite your face. Whatever message he wanted to send to me is one thing, but politically he has taken a suicidal step,” Abdullah said, adding “the person (PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi) who won the seat from there will never allow him to rise again.”
The chief minister said that while he could personally recover political losses, Ruhullah’s future in the Budgam constituency was now fundamentally uncertain.
He also mentioned that the NC would not jump to conclusions about the defeat, attributing it partly to the unique voting demographics of the area.