National Conference Vice President and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: National Conference Vice President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday filed his nomination papers from the Budgam assembly seat in central Kashmir, becoming the first politician to contest from two seats in the J&K assembly elections.
Before filing his nomination papers before Returning Officer Budgam, Abdullah scion visited the residence of senior NC leader and influential Shia cleric Aga Syed Mehmood, who had on Wednesday announced that he won’t support Omar after being denied the mandate, sources told Deccan Herald.
Mehmood had said that there was no way he could participate in any campaigning for Omar “as his voters won’t allow it”.
“Omar persuaded Mehmood to accompany him to file nomination papers to send a message that everything is ok within the party. He (Omar) also promised to Mehmood that if elected from both the seats, he would resign from Budgam and allow Mehmood to contest by-election,” they revealed.
Notably, the Aga family holds considerable sway within a section of the Shia community. Aga Mehmood’s influence runs deep across Budgam, Beerwah, and Sonawari assembly segments.
In Lok Sabha elections, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, who is from the same Aga clan had won Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on NC ticket.
On Wednesday, Omar also filed his nomination papers from family bastion Ganderbal assembly seat which has been represented by three generations of Abdullahs.
During his address in Ganderbal, Omar made an emotional appeal to the voters and removed his skull cap to appeal to them literally with ‘folded hands’ to elect him from the seat.
The Ganderbal seat is historically significant for the Abdullah family, having been represented by three generations: Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1977, Farooq Abdullah in 1983, 1987, and 1996, and Omar Abdullah in 2008.
A senior party leader said that Omar was increasingly becoming insecure about his prospects of winning in the Assembly polls.
“It seems the hangover of losing from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat to jailed Engineer Rashid in June hasn’t left Omar sahib. It is also denting the confidence of the party leaders and workers at a crucial stage,” he said.