Raking Balakot instead of Pulwama cost dearer to opposition : Omar Abdullah

Dismayed by the poor show of the opposition in the Lok Sabha elections, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah suggested that questioning of Balakot air strikes instead of Pulwama terror attack and the Congress' "chowkhidar chor hi" slogan may have cost them dearly.

"Who can say what would have happened if Balakot had not happened. But it is the truth that post-Balakot opposition lost most of its steam. There are many issues we can discuss on. If 'Chowkidar chor hai' was the right slogan if it was right to focus on Rafale," said Omar Abdullah.

"If we presented rural distress, unemployment, economic slowdown properly. If we should have questioned Pulwama instead of Balakot. They say 'Once the horse has bolted what's the point of closing the stable door?' If the horse comes in hand after 5 years, fine, else it will go ahead," he said.

BJP has taken a lead in Jammu and Udhampur seats while NC's Farooq Abdullah is leading from Srinagar constituency, its candidate is also in the lead from Baramulla seat.

NC looks set to gain key constituencies from PDP in these elections while BJP is all set to retain its seats in 2019 with its party candidate from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal is leading Sajjad Hussain, the independent candidate by a margin of over 2000 votes.

The Anantnag seat in South Kashmir is one of the most disturbed areas in the Kashmir valley and elections in the constituency were therefore conducted in three phases under maximum security of the armed forces.