At the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah delivered a sharp assessment of the INDIA bloc’s current condition, saying the opposition alliance is “on life support” and risks being “wheeled into the ICU” due to persistent infighting, weak coordination and lack of strategic discipline.
Reflecting on the bloc’s performance following the recent Bihar elections, Omar said the alliance repeatedly revives itself with “occasional shocks”, only to collapse again after setbacks. He added that the alliance’s own missteps particularly pushing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar “back into the arms of the NDA”had weakened its credibility.
Omar criticised the INDIA bloc’s disjointed election strategy, including the decision to exclude the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) from the Bihar seat-sharing plan despite its presence in the state. In contrast, he praised the BJP’s organisational strength and intense work ethic, noting that the ruling party fights “every election as if their lives depend on it”, while the opposition often wakes up only months before voting.
He stressed that the BJP’s 24x7 political machinery, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, moves seamlessly from one election to the next, whereas the opposition struggles even to finalise alliances before nomination deadlines.
Looking ahead, Omar said the Congress must take the lead in rebuilding the INDIA bloc, as it remains the only party besides the BJP with a national footprint. Regional parties, he said, are limited by geography and cannot shoulder the burden alone.
On the Muslim vote, he argued that parties that traditionally counted on the community “made a mistake” by taking them for granted, prompting voters to consider alternatives like AIMIM.
He dismissed claims of EVM rigging but warned that elections can be manipulated through voter lists and constituency restructuring. Citing the delimitation process in J&K, he alleged it was designed to favour “one party and its ally”.
Omar concluded that transparency in voter revisions such as the Special Intensive Revision is critical to ensuring trust in the electoral system.
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