J&K Polls: Omar Abdullah To Contest From Family Stronghold Ganderbal

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is set to contest from the Ganderbal constituency in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.

This decision marks a significant return to a stronghold of the National Conference (NC), a constituency that has been represented by three generations of the Abdullah family.

The Ganderbal constituency holds historical importance for the National Conference. It first elected NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1977. Subsequently, his son Farooq Abdullah was elected from the same constituency three times, in 1983, 1987, and 1996. Omar Abdullah continued this legacy by winning the seat in 2008.

In the 2014 elections, the seat was won by Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, who contested on a National Conference ticket after previously running unsuccessfully in more than two elections as a Congress candidate.

The National Conference, which has now forged an alliance with the Congress in the union territory, released its second list of 32 candidates on Tuesday, with Omar Abdullah's candidacy from Ganderbal being one of the highlights. This move is seen as an effort by the NC to reclaim its traditional bastion in the upcoming elections.

In the 2014 elections, the seat was won by Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, who contested on a National Conference ticket after previously running unsuccessfully in more than two elections as a Congress candidate.

The National Conference, which has now forged an alliance with the Congress in the union territory, released its second list of 32 candidates on Tuesday, with Omar Abdullah's candidacy from Ganderbal being one of the highlights.

The assembly polls are being held in Jammu and Kashmir after a decade and first after Modi government scrapped the Article 370 in 2019. It is conducted in three phases - September 18, September 25 and October 1. The last assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir in November-December 2014 in five phases.

While 24 seats will go to the polls in the first phase in Jammu and Kashmir, elections will be held in 26 seats and 40 seats in the second and third phases respectively.