Omar Abdullah to contest from Ganderbal Assembly seat
Srinagar, August 27
Former J&K Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah will contest the Assembly elections from the Ganderbal seat in central Kashmir.
The NC today released a list of 32 candidates, a day after it finalised a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress. The elections are being held for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Omar and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had earlier said they would not contest the Assembly elections until Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood was restored. While Mehbooba has so far stuck to her stance, Omar recently hinted at changing his decision, citing pressure from party.
The Ganderbal seat has been a family bastion of the Abdullahs. Their three generations — Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah — have represented the seat in the past. The Abdullahs have managed to hold on to the seat for the most part, expect in 2002 when the PDP candidate won.
The segment is part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, which was won by NC’s Aga Ruhullah Mehdi in the recent polls. The 32,000-odd votes polled by him in Ganderbal were the highest among all segments in the LS seat.
With announcement of Omar’s candidature, NC president Farooq Abdullah is unlikely to contest the polls now. Farooq had recently said he would contest the elections.
The party has also fielded South Kashmir MP Mian Altaf’s son Mehar Ali from the Kangan seat. Other prominent contestants include Ali Mohammad Sagar from Khanyar, his son Salman Sagar (Hazratbal), Shameema Firdous (Habba Kadal), and Tanvir Sadiq (Zadibal). The list also includes candidates for Budgam, Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora districts. The NC has further named several leaders for the Jammu region.
