Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: National Conference Leader Omar Abdullah To Contest Polls From Ganderbal Seat
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and vice president of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah will contest the upcoming Assembly elections from the Ganderbal constituency.
Srinagar, August 25: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and vice president of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah will contest the upcoming Assembly elections from the Ganderbal constituency. This announcement was made by Syed 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.
Omar Abdullah had come to Nuner village of Ganderbal district where Sayim Mustafa, a political activist joined the party. Sayim Mustafa had unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha election for the Srinagar seat when Syed Ruhullah Mehdi defeated Sayim among other candidates. Sunday’s announcement about Omar Abdullah deciding to fight the Assembly elections has negated his earlier statement that he would not stand for the elections as long as J&K remained a union territory. Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: PDP Releases Manifesto; Promises Restoration of Article 370, Diplomatic Initiatives Between India and Pakistan, Dignified Return of Kashmiri Pandits to Valley.
Omar Abdullah served as the Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state from 2009 to 2015 and was also the president of his party. He is a three-time Lok Sabha MP and has represented the Assembly constituencies of Ganderbal (2008-2014) and Beerwah (2014-2019). He lost the 2002 Assembly elections to Qazi Mohammad Afzal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ganderbal.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued notice for the first phase of the 3-phased Assembly polls in J&K. In the first phase, 24 Assembly segments spread in the Valley and the Jammu division will go to vote on September 18. Voting for the second phase will take place on September 25 and for the last phase on October 1. Counting of votes will be held on October 4 and the entire poll process will be concluded by October 6. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Slams Congress for Poll Alliance With National Conference Ahead of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024.
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. The state came under the Governor’s rule and the then-governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Assembly. On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and J&K was bifurcated into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2024 01:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).