SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah will contest from Ganderbal constituency in central Kashmir, sources said Tuesday, after the former CM acknowledged that it was a “mistake” to earlier announce that he would abstain from assembly elections until J&K’s full statehood was restored.
“I have realised that how the people could cast their vote and how my colleagues would seek votes for the assembly, which I am trying to devalue by not contesting in the elections, which was my mistake,” said Omar, who lost to imprisoned independent candidate Engineer Rashid in Baramulla during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Ganderbal is widely regarded as an NC stronghold, having elected three generations of the Abdullah family, starting with party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1977. His son and current NC chief Farooq Abdullah won the seat in 1983, 1987, and 1996. In 2008, Omar was elected from Ganderbal.
Omar admitted that staying out of the elections contradicted the party’s efforts. “Seeking votes from the people while not being a candidate myself seemed contradictory,” he said. His change of stand came Monday after the formalisation of the NC-Congress seat-sharing pact for the three-phase polls from Sept 18 to Oct 1.
These elections will be the first since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the region into two Union territories, including Ladakh. The NC-Congress campaign centres on the restoration of J&K’s statehood, a demand that resonates across both Kashmir valley and Jammu.
“We are committed to defeating BJP and its allies. We have presented our manifesto and roadmap to the people,” Omar said.
According to the deal, NC will contest 51 seats, Congress will vie for 32, while one seat each has been allocated to CPM and J&K National Panthers Party — both part of INDIA bloc. The alliance will field candidates for 83 of the 90 seats, leaving room for “friendly contests” in five constituencies.
NC has released names of 44 candidates. “Since NC and Congress will contest the elections as a united front, some NC members will not be able to contest on the party’s ticket due to the alliance,” Omar said.
Omar also welcomed the decision of several former militants, separatists, and their relatives to contest the elections, calling it a “huge development”. “Those who had declared elections haram and questioned J&K’s place within India are now willing to join the electoral race,” he said.
Dr Talat Majeed and Nazir Ahmad, former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, filed their nominations Tuesday as independent candidates from Pulwama and Devsar constituencies, respectively. Another former separatist is expected to file his papers for Sopore in north Kashmir.
“We have to look at the situation from a geopolitical perspective… I thought we should get into the mainstream,” Majeed said, emphasising the importance of political engagement to address the region’s problems and represent the people’s aspirations in a changing political landscape.
Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, which participated in elections until 1987, saw Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani serve as an MLA for three terms before the assembly was dissolved in 1990 because of militancy.
The group recently announced its support to independents, with its former general secretary Ghulam Qadir Lone saying: “Our backing will depend on the candidates’ character and their commitment to assisting with legal efforts to lift the ban. We will vote because it’s our constitutional and democratic right and the only path to achieving change.”
“I have realised that how the people could cast their vote and how my colleagues would seek votes for the assembly, which I am trying to devalue by not contesting in the elections, which was my mistake,” said Omar, who lost to imprisoned independent candidate Engineer Rashid in Baramulla during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Ganderbal is widely regarded as an NC stronghold, having elected three generations of the Abdullah family, starting with party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1977. His son and current NC chief Farooq Abdullah won the seat in 1983, 1987, and 1996. In 2008, Omar was elected from Ganderbal.
Omar admitted that staying out of the elections contradicted the party’s efforts. “Seeking votes from the people while not being a candidate myself seemed contradictory,” he said. His change of stand came Monday after the formalisation of the NC-Congress seat-sharing pact for the three-phase polls from Sept 18 to Oct 1.
These elections will be the first since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the region into two Union territories, including Ladakh. The NC-Congress campaign centres on the restoration of J&K’s statehood, a demand that resonates across both Kashmir valley and Jammu.
“We are committed to defeating BJP and its allies. We have presented our manifesto and roadmap to the people,” Omar said.
According to the deal, NC will contest 51 seats, Congress will vie for 32, while one seat each has been allocated to CPM and J&K National Panthers Party — both part of INDIA bloc. The alliance will field candidates for 83 of the 90 seats, leaving room for “friendly contests” in five constituencies.
NC has released names of 44 candidates. “Since NC and Congress will contest the elections as a united front, some NC members will not be able to contest on the party’s ticket due to the alliance,” Omar said.
Omar also welcomed the decision of several former militants, separatists, and their relatives to contest the elections, calling it a “huge development”. “Those who had declared elections haram and questioned J&K’s place within India are now willing to join the electoral race,” he said.
Dr Talat Majeed and Nazir Ahmad, former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, filed their nominations Tuesday as independent candidates from Pulwama and Devsar constituencies, respectively. Another former separatist is expected to file his papers for Sopore in north Kashmir.
“We have to look at the situation from a geopolitical perspective… I thought we should get into the mainstream,” Majeed said, emphasising the importance of political engagement to address the region’s problems and represent the people’s aspirations in a changing political landscape.
Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, which participated in elections until 1987, saw Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani serve as an MLA for three terms before the assembly was dissolved in 1990 because of militancy.
The group recently announced its support to independents, with its former general secretary Ghulam Qadir Lone saying: “Our backing will depend on the candidates’ character and their commitment to assisting with legal efforts to lift the ban. We will vote because it’s our constitutional and democratic right and the only path to achieving change.”
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