Srinagar, Sep 23: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday called for “corrective action” amid questions over the functioning of the Election Commission and warned that any erosion of public confidence in elections would strike at the foundation of democracy.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the award ceremony of the ALOHA National Level Competition-2026 at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here, CM Omar complemented the ‘Indian Express’ newspaper for the investigative story on decisions concerning electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
“I think it raises a lot of questions,” he said.
The CM said the reported internal divisions within the poll panel “clearly” indicated that “there is something wrong.”
“The statement subsequently issued by the Election Commission made the matter even more damning. There is a need to take some corrective action. Otherwise, if people lose confidence in elections, then what is left of a democracy? The foundation of a democracy is elections,” he said.
CM Omar said concerns over the Election Commission’s functioning had existed for some time while recalling that the delimitation exercise earlier was an issue in Jammu and Kashmir as well.
“We believed that the process was opaque, flawed, and the entire process was designed to benefit one political party and its friends,” he said.
The CM also questioned the consequences of voters being prevented from exercising their franchise.
“If you are stopping someone from voting, where it is their right to vote and they want to vote, the government and members of the Election Commission would have to consider what steps should be taken,” he said.
On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement that “vote chori” was a direct attack on the Constitution, and the BJP, the RSS, and the Election Commission, which organised it had committed an act of treason, CM Omar said if someone was stopped from voting, despite having their right to vote “if this is not an attack on the constitution, then what is?”
“What Rahul said is absolutely right and now we will have to see what steps will be taken,” he said.
On the repeated disruptions in the J&K Legislative Assembly, the CM said such incidents were part of legislative proceedings saying that commotion also kept media attention focused on the House.
“This keeps going on in the Assembly. But questions were being raised in House and answers were given as well. BJP members also participated in legislative business, including discussions on bills and resolutions,” he said.
CM Omar said some more resolutions will come in the House.
“It will continue. If we do not do it, your work will stop,” he told reporters, referring to the media coverage of Assembly proceedings.
“Your cameras will start working when there is noise,” the CM said.
On pulling books out from colleges and libraries, he said he had his own views on the matter but the elected government did not have the authority to decide such issues under the present circumstances.
“I have my own views on whether books should be banned or not. But unfortunately, in the current system, we in the elected government do not decide these things,” CM Omar said.
He said that the government would have to wait for the situation to change before taking a fresh look at the issue.
On BJP’s remarks concerning Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and his role in the freedom struggle, the CM hit back questioning the historical record of those making such claims saying that attempts were being made to “present history in a new way”.
“The sacrifices made in Kashmir and the role of the National Conference during the freedom struggle cannot be erased from history,” he said.
CM Omar said political differences would continue, but historical facts should not be recast to suit “contemporary political arguments.”
Earlier, he praised the mental arithmetic skills demonstrated by participating students of ALOHA and said their performance reflected strong foundations in problem-solving, logic and persistence.
“ALOHA International’s role in J&K should expand and government schools could also be brought into the programme. I think it will be very good for our children,” the CM said.
He said the performance of the children surprised him and demonstrated the value of mental arithmetic in developing problem-solving abilities.
