DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
SRINAGAR, Aug 27
National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah will contest the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections from the Ganderbal segment, the party said on Tuesday, in what marks a U-turn for the former chief minister who had vowed to not fight for a seat in the legislature of a union territory.
The party 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.
Speaking to media after the NC and Congress announced their seat-sharing arrangement on Monday, Omar Abdullah said he does not want to send out a “wrong signal” by asking his party colleagues to contest and the people to cast their votes for an assembly “that I may be suggesting that I look down upon”.
“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?
“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,” he said.
As per the second list released by the National Conference, the following candidates have been nominated: Mian Mehar Ali for Kangan (ST), Omar Abdullah for Ganderbal, Salman Ali Sagar for Hazratbal, Ali Mohammad Sagar for Khanyar, Shameema Firdous for Habba Kadal, Ahsan Pardesi for Lal Chowk, Mushtaq Guroo for Chanapora, Tanvir Sadiq for Zadibal, Mubarak Gul for Eidgah, Saif-Ud-Din Bhat for Khan Sahib, Abdul Raheem Rather for Char-I-Sharief, Ali Mohammad Dar for Chadoora, Er. Khursheed for Gulab Ghar (ST), Yashu Vardhan Singh for Kalakote/Sunderbani, Surinder Chowdary for Nowshera, Javid Chowdary for Budhal (ST), Ajaz Ahmad Jan for Poonch Haveli, Javid Rana for Mendhar (ST), Javid Mirchal for Karnah, Mir Saifullah for Trehgam, Nasir Aslam Wani (Sogami) for Kupwara, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone for Lolab, Chowdary Mohammad Ramzan for Handwara, Irshad Rasool Kar for Sopore, Javid Ahmad Dar for Rafiabad, Dr. Sajad Shafi Uri for Uri, Javid Hussain Beigh for Baramulla, Farooq Ahmad Shah for Tangmarg, Javid Reyaz Bedar for Pattan, Hilal Akbar Lone for Sonawari, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi for Gurez (ST), and Ajay Kumar Sadhotra for Jammu North.
