Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
Credit: PTI File Photo
Srinagar: Omar Abdullah, the vice-president of the National Conference (NC) and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, is set to contest upcoming assembly polls from the Ganderbal constituency.
This will be his first time running for the seat since 2008, marking a return to the family's traditional constituency after a 16-year hiatus. Omar's decision to contest from Ganderbal, often seen as the political bastion of the Abdullah family, carries symbolic weight.
This announcement was made by Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a Lok Sabha member, and Nasir Aslam Wani, NC provincial president on Sunday in the presence of Omar Abdullah and Mian Altaf Ahmad, senior NC leader and MP from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.
The constituency, located in central Kashmir, has been historically associated with the Abdullahs, with Omar's father, Farooq Abdullah, and his grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, both having represented the seat in the past.
Omar first contested from Ganderbal in 2002, a time when the NC was facing significant challenges and he lost the seat to Qazi Mohammad Afzal of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a defeat that many viewed as a major blow to the party's standing. The loss was a stark reminder of the shifting political landscape in Kashmir, with the PDP emerging as a formidable force.
However, putting the setback aside, Omar returned to contest from Ganderbal in 2008, reclaiming the seat with a decisive victory against Afzal. But, in 2014, Omar decided not to contest from Ganderbal, instead choosing the Beerwah constituency in Budgam district and Sonwar in Srinagar. While he won from the Beerwah, Omar had to taste defeat from Sonwar.
Omar had to taste defeat in Lok Sabha seat in June 2024 when he was defeated by jailed independent candidate Engineer Rasheed from north Kashmir's Baramulla seat,
With Jammu and Kashmir preparing for its first assembly elections since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Abdullah scion’s return to Ganderbal is being closely watched. The political landscape of J&K has undergone significant changes since 2014, with new parties emerging and alliances shifting.
J&K has been without an elected government since June 2018 when the BJP pulled out of the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government. On August 16, the Election Commission announced Assembly polls dates in J&K in three phases – September 18, 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.