Ahead Of J&K Polls, Omar Abdullah's Emotional Call To Voters: 'My Honour Is In Your Hands'

Omar Abdullah, the National Conference (NC) vice president and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, made an impassioned appeal to the people of Ganderbal on Wednesday, as he gears up for the upcoming assembly elections set to begin on September 18.

In a rare and emotional gesture, Abdullah held his cap in his hands while addressing the public, pleading for another chance to serve them. "My honour is in your hands," he stated, according to a report by PTI.

In his appeal, Abdullah spoke in Kashmiri, saying, "Muin dastar (my turban), muin izzat (my honour), muin topi (my cap), are in your hands, ath kariw raech (uphold it)."

He implored the people of Ganderbal, "Just give me one opportunity to serve you, I am appealing to you with folded hands."

This plea marked Abdullah's return to Ganderbal after a 16-year absence. He represented the constituency from 2008 to 2014 as the chief minister of the NC-Congress coalition government, before shifting to Beerwah in the 2014 Assembly elections.

During this period, Abdullah's former colleague, Ishfaq Jabbar, ran for the seat in Ganderbal.

In his emotional speech, Abdullah reflected on the hardships endured by the people of Ganderbal since 2016, noting that no one had stepped in to ease their suffering or address their concerns.

"The people of Ganderbal have suffered a lot after 2016, no one healed their wounds, no one addressed their difficulties," he said, promising to tackle these issues in the coming weeks as part of his election campaign.

Earlier in the day, Abdullah filed his nomination papers from Ganderbal, marking his official return to the constituency for the upcoming elections.

This follows his unsuccessful run in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla, where he lost to independent candidate Engineer Rashid.

The first phase of polling for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will take place on September 18, with subsequent phases on September 25 and October 1.

Over 87.09 lakh eligible voters will participate across 11,800 polling stations in the Union Territory. The filing deadlines for nominations are August 27 for the first phase, September 5 for the second, and September 12 for the final phase.

Abdullah, hopeful for a strong NC performance, called upon his party workers to remain united, declaring, "God willing, the party will taste success in the elections."