Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah warned on Saturday that the opposition INDIA alliance is presently “on life support” and faces being wheeled into the “ICU” owing to infighting and a failure to match the BJP’s round-the-clock electoral machine.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, Abdullah described the opposition bloc’s organisational and strategic failings, contrasting them with the BJP’s “unrivalled” work ethic.

When asked about the INDIA bloc’s current state, particularly in the aftermath of the recent Bihar elections, Abdullah replied, “We’re somewhat of on life support, but every now and then, somebody pulls out his paddles and gives us a bit of a jolt, and we get up again. But then, sadly, results like Bihar occur, and we drop down again, prompting someone to wheel us into the ICU.

Abdullah further blamed the INDIA bloc for Nitish Kumar’s return to the BJP-led NDA, claiming that “I believe we pushed Nitish Kumar back into the arms of the NDA.”

He also criticized the alliance’s inability to take a unified stance, highlighting the decision to deliberately exclude the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) from the Bihar seat-sharing arrangement despite the party’s existence in the state.

Abdullah contrasted the INDIA bloc’s electioneering to that of the BJP, claiming that the opposition alliance is inherently incapable of competing with the ruling party’s systematic strategy.

They have an unequaled electoral machine, he stated, emphasizing that its power extends beyond mere organization and resources.

“They have an incredible work ethic when it comes to elections… They battle each election as if their lives depended on it. “We sometimes fight elections as if we don’t care,” he admitted.

Abdullah underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team’s 24×7 political approach, claiming that “no sooner has one election completed, they’ve already moved on to the next territory… We plan to move into those states two months before the elections. We’ll be lucky if we can form electoral alliances by the deadline for filing nominations.

Looking ahead, Abdullah stated that the only option for the opposition to make a real challenge (against the BJP) is to coalesce around its largest constituent, the Congress, which is the only party other than the BJP to have a presence across India.

Recognizing that regional parties have limited geographical reach, he stated, “The heavy lifting will have to be done by Congress.”

Concerning 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, resulting in churn that benefits parties like AIMIM, which are willing to “espouse our cause for the entire period of five years.”

When asked if the results of the 2024 general elections were a fluke, Abdullah responded, “No, I believe the country sent a message to the Central government, Prime Minister Modi, and others in 2024 that things are not as rosy as you made them out to be, and that we are dissatisfied with some of the decisions that have been made.

He also stated that after the 2024 elections, the Centre revised its strategy and demonstrated that it can work in an alliance framework as well.

Today, few people recall that it is an alliance government. We all agreed that the way this government operated did not lend itself to a UPA or NDA-type situation. I, for one, rarely remember that this is a prime minister who is truly dependent on two of his friends,” Abdullah said, adding that the Centre has reoriented its approach to carrying people along.

“I mean, instead of calling it a BJP government, they named itself an NDA government. “These are small changes, but they are significant,” he remarked.

Abdullah, who has always distanced himself from the prevalent political claim that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are rigged, stated, “I have never been a supporter of those who say the machines are rigged.”

However, he distinguished between rigging and election manipulation, which he says is a legitimate worry.

“Elections may be rigged. “And the simplest way to manipulate an election is through the voter list or the way constituencies are structured,” he continued.

Abdullah referred to the recent delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir as “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, amounted to election manipulation.

He continued by stating that any process that involves changing the voter list, such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), must be done “transparently” and “fairly” to avoid allegations of prejudice.

On a lighter note, Abdullah stated that his personal view on EVMs puts him at odds with his father, Farooq Abdullah, who is sure of rigging, stating, “My dad believes everything he sees on WhatsApp.”