J&K assembly polls: Farooq Abdullah to lead National Conference

NEW DELHI: Farooq Abdullah is all set to lead the National Conference Party in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections which is set to begin from September 18.

Talking to PTI about the Election Commission announcing poll schedule for the Union Territory, he said, "I thank God for this decision. Earlier, there was speculation about the dates being set between the 20th and 25th, so I am pleased they have been moved up."

Responding to whether NC would contest elections independently, Farooq said, "As of now, we have decided so. However, we will have thorough discussions within the party before taking a final decision."

Talking about his party's preparedness for the polls, Farooq said, "We were prepared for the parliamentary elections and had requested that the assembly elections be held concurrently, but that did not happen."

Farooq also took a jibe at BJP's claim 'abki baar, 400 paar' in the Lok Sabha elections and said, "They claimed over 400 seats in the parliamentary elections, but what did they achieve? If the Election Commission had not been there, they would not have secured over 140 seats."

EC announced on Friday that the elections will be held in the UT in three phases -- September 18, September 25 and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4.