Elected Leaders in Jail, Bureaucrats in Charge: Omar Abdullah Questions Centre's Idea of Democracy, Remembers Arun Jaitley

Srinagar, July 14: National Conference vice-president and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had no qualms about berating the central government in New Delhi for its role in eroding democracy in the region. In a harshly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Omar paraphrased an old BJP leader, Arun Jaitley, to make a point: "Democracy in J&K is a tyranny of the unelected."

Omar's rhetorical flourish was about the multiplicity of reasons over the continuing political void in Jammu & Kashmir, since there have been no Assembly elections since 2014, and the region is under the direct rule of a Lieutenant Governor chosen by the centre.

“To put it in terms you will all understand today—the unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K,” Omar wrote.

To borrow from the late Arun Jaitley Sb - Democracy in J&K is a tyranny of the unelected.
To put it in terms you will all understand today the unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K. pic.twitter.com/hTkWlR0P0s

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 13, 2025

Targeting the Post-370 Political Scenario

Omar Abdullah’s comments are made against a backdrop of concern over electoral absence and prolonged bureaucratic rule in Jammu & Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Following the revocation of special status, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories, J&K and Ladakh, losing full statehood. Many mainstream leaders, including Omar himself, faced house arrest or detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for long periods. The Centre promised democracy would be restored, but elections to the Assembly have still not occurred.

A Call to Accountability

Furthermore, Omar Abdullah’s message has a more profound warning: there cannot be a true democracy in the absence of elected leaders, and substituting those leaders for unelected appointed bureaucrats is dangerous and erodes public confidence.  In referring to Arun Jaitley (one of the more respected members of the BJP), Omar points out the irony of the BJP-led Centre being accused of doing the same things they condemned before.

Conclusion

With the political discourse about Jammu & Kashmir slowly shifting, Omar Abdullah’s statement has reignited the struggle for discourse on democracy, representation, and governance regarding the Union Territory. With no Assembly elections on the horizon, his comments present a timely reminder of the fragile state of electoral democracy that exists in the territory.