'Aur lado': Omar Abdullah mocks Congress-AAP as BJP leads in Delhi polls

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken a jibe at the INDIA alliance — particularly the Congress and AAP — following early trends indicating BJP taking the lead in 41 seats in Delhi.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Abdullah said, “Aur lado aapas mein!!!”

As early trends showed that the BJP has secured 40 out of Delhi's 70 Assembly seats, the National Conference leader shared a GIF with the text: “Aur lado, jee bhar ke lado, samapt kar do ek dusre ko” (fight some more, fight to your heart’s content, finish each other off).

Despite contesting the Lok Sabha elections as allies in Delhi, the Congress and AAP opted to go separate ways for the Assembly polls. Their campaign strategies saw them directly attacking each other, even accusing the other of acting as the BJP’s ‘B-team’.

The decision to contest independently came even after Congress faced a major setback in Haryana, where it was initially expected to perform well against the BJP, which had been in power since 2014 and was believed to be facing anti-incumbency. Many analysts attributed Congress' loss in several constituencies to AAP’s presence in the race. Eventually, Congress secured only 37 out of 90 seats in the state.

Last month, reacting to the alliance’s lack of unity, Omar Abdullah had commented that the INDIA bloc lacked clarity regarding its leadership and objectives. He suggested that if the alliance was formed solely for the Lok Sabha elections, it should be dissolved.

“I cannot comment on Delhi elections as we are not involved. AAP, Congress, and other local parties must decide how to take on the BJP. However, there was no defined time frame for the INDIA alliance. Unfortunately, no meetings are being held, leaving uncertainty about leadership, the agenda, or even the existence of the alliance. If it was only meant for the general elections, then it should be dissolved,” Abdullah stated.

Following Congress’ loss in Haryana, discontent among its allies grew, particularly after the party’s alliance with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena suffered a heavy defeat in Maharashtra in November. This further deepened cracks within the Opposition bloc. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed interest in leading the alliance, garnering support from some allies.

Abdullah also cautioned Congress against assuming leadership of the Opposition by default. “Being the largest opposition party in Parliament, holding the leader of opposition positions in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and having a nationwide presence makes Congress a natural leader of the opposition. However, some allies feel the party is not doing enough to justify this role. This is something Congress should reflect on,” he remarked.