The rout of the Congress-led National Conference (NC) alliance in Jammu and Kashmir has left Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shocked.
However, accepting moral responsibility for the electoral loss, Abdullah said: "It is for me to accept complete and total responsibility for the outcome of these elections, to congratulate the victors within the state, both the PDP (People's Democratic Party) and the BJP."
"I hope that they are able to adequately represent the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in parliament and also congratulate BJP and NDA (National Democratic Alliance) for their victory at the national level," he added.
"I hope they recognize the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and do a decent job in addressing those aspirations," Abdullah said further.
The election results in Jammu and Kashmir have turned the tables for the ruling National Conference (NC), as the party trailed in all three Lok Sabha seats, including Srinagar city.
Abdullah said his election campaign was fought on national issues and the performance of the government was not an issue, but added that the people's verdict is what decides the fate of any government.
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"While I knew that we had a difficult challenge on our hands, I did not expect this comprehensive one sided result in the state. That having been said, the voters have spoken and we accept that the verdict will obviously have far reaching implications for us and for the state of Jammu and Kashmir," said Abdullah.
On being asked whether the Congress was responsible for the defeat of NC candidates in the Valley, Abdullah dismissed it completely and said the party had fared badly in assembly constituencies, which were represented by the cabinet ministers.
Abdullah added that the coming few months would be difficult for them but they have learned their lessons.
Congratulating the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), Abdullah said the defeat should not be seen as a wipe out of the NC's existence.
PDP and BJP workers celebrated their landslide victory.
