Biggest vote theft was in 1987: BJP’s Sunil Sharma targets Abdullah family

Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Sunil Kumar Sharma, on Monday accused the Abdullah family of facing the country’s biggest “vote chori” (vote theft) allegation, citing widely alleged rigging in the 1987 Assembly elections.

His remarks came days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah joined a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders who submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Sharma said, “If the allegation of vote chori is to be put on someone, it is on the 1987 rigging. When Farooq Abdullah was made Chief Minister after stealing votes.” He described the 1987 polls as an example “not only in the country but in the whole world,” adding that the “biggest allegation of theft in the country is the theft of 87” and that the Abdullah family “should first answer that.”

Sharma claimed that fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held only under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He accused the Congress of having a history of stealing votes in the region and referred to a Deputy Commissioner named Khaliq, alleging that “those MLAs were called ‘Khaliq-made MLAs.’”

Sharma also targeted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for participating in the opposition’s campaign, questioning his stance on election conduct after earlier remarks praising the electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to Omar Abdullah’s previous comments on the Assembly elections, Sharma said the Chief Minister had described the polls as exceptionally good but was now questioning electoral transparency.

“Two years ago, he said that such a beautiful election had happened for the first time in history. This came out of Omar Abdullah Sahib’s mouth,” Sharma said.

He also referred to Omar Abdullah’s reported remarks on the use of electronic voting machines and asked why the Chief Minister was now raising questions about the electoral process.

“If it went wrong, then your election was also bad. You resign on moral grounds,” Sharma said.

Criticising the INDIA bloc’s street protests, the BJP leader said political parties should seek public support through democratic processes rather than demonstrations that disrupt daily life.

“If you want to show your strength, gather two lakh or five lakh people. Gather in a stadium or at Ramlila Maidan if you do not have a place at Jantar Mantar. Raise your slogans, and when people accept you, they will bring you to power,” he said.

Sharma said protests should not obstruct essential services or inconvenience the public, including students, patients and businesses.

“People have to go to school, people have to go to hospitals, people have to open businesses. If you close all the roads, no one will allow you anywhere,” he said.

He also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his reported interaction with a woman police officer during the protests, saying such conduct was unacceptable.

On the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Sharma said it would be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the rest of the country, rejecting Omar Abdullah’s reported assertion that the legislation would never be implemented in Kashmir.

“UCC will be implemented in India, and Kashmir will also be part of it,” Sharma said.