Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said Congress leader Ahmed Patel's win in Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls "should have never been this difficult" and the opposition needs to introspect and shift strategy to counter the BJP in the 2019 general elections.

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said Congress leader Ahmed Patel's win in Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls "should have never been this difficult" and the opposition needs to introspect and shift strategy to counter the BJP in the 2019 general elections.

Omar praised the Election Commission (EC) for what he described as "withstanding the pressure from the Centre". "That Ahmed bhai has won is a very welcome development but it should have never been this difficult. Introspection & (and) strategy shift warranted,” the National Conference (NC) working president wrote on Twitter.    

"How much more evidence do we require to understand that we opposition parties are up against a ruthless, finely tuned BJP political machine," he tweeted.  On the EC's role, he said in another tweet that the organisation "withstood the pressure of FIVE senior cabinet ministers to deliver a verdict that was a crushing blow to the BJP”. PTI