Jammu and Kashmir election: National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah made an emotional plea to the people of Ganderbal in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday ahead of the assembly election, which is set to begin on September 18 and will be held in three phases until October 1.
In a rare gesture, the former chief minister held his cap in his hands while addressing the public, urging the people of Ganderbal to give him another chance to serve them, news agency PTI reported. A visibly emotional Abdullah appealed for their support, saying, “My honour is in your hands.”
“Muin dastar (my turban), muin izzat (my honour), muin topi (my cap), are in your hands, ath kariw raech (uphold it),” he expressed, holding his cap. “Just give me one opportunity to serve you, I am appealing to you with folded hands,” he added.
Speaking to his party workers at the NC office, Abdullah mentioned that he has returned to Ganderbal after 16 years, driven by the hope to serve the people of the constituency once more.
“The people of Ganderbal have suffered a lot after 2016, no one healed their wounds, no one addressed their difficulties. We will talk about all these issues in the coming two to three weeks,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The people of Ganderbal have suffered a lot after 2016, no one healed their wounds, no one addressed their difficulties. We will talk about all these issues in the coming two to three weeks,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Calling upon his party workers to remain united, he said God willing, the party will taste success in the elections.
Abdullah's nomination
Abdullah filed his nomination papers from Ganderbal earlier in the day, marking his return to the constituency he represented from 2008 to 2014 as the chief minister of the NC-Congress coalition government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, Abdullah won from the Beerwah constituency in Budgam district, central Kashmir, and chose not to contest from Ganderbal, allowing his then-party colleague Ishfaq Jabbar to run instead.
Abdullah, who had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla, lost to independent candidate Engineer Rashid. To connect with voters, Abdullah delivered his over five-minute speech primarily in Kashmiri.
J&K elections
The first phase of polling is scheduled for September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25, and the final phase on October 1.
Gazette notifications for each phase have been scheduled to be issued on August 20, August 29, and September 9, respectively. The deadlines for filing nominations are August 27 for the first phase, September 5 for the second, and September 12 for the third.
According to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the Union Territory has 87.09 lakh eligible voters, with an equal percentage of male and female voters. There will be over 11,800 polling stations across the region.
(With PTI inputs)