Budgam outcome sign of public resentment, Nagrota result as expected: J-K Cong on bypolls

Jammu, Nov 14 (PTI) The Congress in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday said the bypoll result in Budgam reflected "public resentment" over unfulfilled promises and dissatisfaction with the government's performance while it termed the Nagrota outcome "as expected" as the seat was already with the BJP.

On the Bihar election results, Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission, alleging that the Chief Election Commissioner "played the role of a block president of the BJP".

"He deserves 'congratulations'. He facilitated everything for the BJP. It was open poll rigging, a vote-for-money and money-for-vote exercise," he claimed.

Karra said the Bihar outcome did not reflect the ground reality.

"Rahul Gandhi campaigned extensively. But the ground reality and the results do not match. What people expected at the national and state levels did not happen," he claimed.

Karra added that despite the setback, the Congress is not demoralised.

"Our morale is high. We will continue to fight this vote theft strongly. The 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod' campaign launched by Rahul Gandhi will be further intensified," he said.

Talking about the bypoll verdict, he said the Nagrota seat already belonged to the BJP.

"So there is nothing surprising in that result. But as far as Budgam is concerned, there is a change among the people there. We have to see what the reason for that is," Karra told reporters here.

He maintained that people have expressed their displeasure over the government's functioning through this vote.

"The chief minister had earlier won from there and later vacated the seat despite promising to retain the one with the higher lead. Even though his Budgam lead was higher, yet he left it," the Congress leader said.

BJP's Devyani Rana won the Nagrota assembly seat while Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Aga Syed Muntazir won in Budgam.

Karra asserted that the Congress's statehood campaign has struck a chord with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are representing 1.40 crore people. This is their will, their voice that we have raised for the restoration of statehood," he said.

He said the party launched the Hamara Riyasat, Hamara Haq programme to oppose the Centre's "downgrading and degrading" of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood.

"We campaigned across districts, then launched the Jammu Chalo, Srinagar Chalo movement, followed by programmes in Delhi with the Congress leadership. We also held a chain hunger strike," he said.

Karra said the Congress was now entering a new phase of the agitation.

"We are taking this movement to the grassroots. We have named it 'Har Ghar Dastak, Ghar Ghar Dastak'. Today, we launched it by distributing pamphlets to every household," he said. PTI AB ZMN