J-K Assembly Polls: Omar Abdullah takes U-turn, to contest elections from Ganderbal constituency

Jammu and Kashmir Polls 2024: National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah has announced his candidacy from the Ganderbal constituency for the upcoming Assembly elections.

This development marks a notable reversal for Omar Abdullah, who had previously chosen to abstain from electoral participation until the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. Abdullah's recent defeat in the Lok Sabha elections to the imprisoned Engineer Rashid in the Baramulla district further underscores the significance of this shift.

On 16 August, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah had said that he will lead the party in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections scheduled in three phases from September 18.

Ganderbal is considered NC strong hold. The seat had in the past elected three generations of Abdullah family — NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1977, his son Farooq Abdullah thrice in 1983, 1987 and 1996 and Omar Abdullah was elected in 2008.

On Tuesday, NC released a list of 32 candidates which included Omar Abdullah for the Ganderbal assembly seat, a constituency that he represented from 2009 to 2014 when he was the chief minister of the NC-Congress coalition government.

Omar Abdullah had dropped hints on Monday that he is likely to reconsider his decision of not contesting the polls.

Following the announcement of the NC and Congress seat-sharing arrangement on Monday, Omar Abdullah addressed the media, expressing his concerns about sending a "wrong signal" by having his party members contest and encouraging voters to support an assembly he himself might be perceived as dismissive of.

"I am conscious of one thing which I had not thought over fully, which is my mistake. If I was not ready to contest an election for an assembly, how can I get the people ready to vote for that assembly?" Abdullah explained.

He further questioned, "How can I hope that my colleagues will seek votes for an assembly which I am not ready to accept or may be suggesting that I look down upon? It has put a pressure on me and I do not want to give a wrong signal to the people."