SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) is considering fielding its president, Farooq Abdullah, and his son, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, as its “star candidates” for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections in an attempt to give a tough fight to BJP and some smaller regional parties seen as the saffron party’s tactical allies.
PDP, meanwhile, announced on Monday the candidature of Iltija Mufti, the 36-year-old daughter of party president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti, from Bijbehara seat, marking the political debut of the third generation of the Mufti dynasty — after maternal grandfather Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and mother Mehbooba.Both her grandfather and mother had contested Bijbehara seat. Iltija serves as Mehbooba Mufti’s media adviser.
“They have both been CMs, MLAs and MPs several times. Contesting assembly elections for a UT government that will apparently function under a lieutenant governor is below their dignity. But this election is a matter of our prestige and existence. It’s a matter of J&K’s dignity. Like 1977 and 1996, we will ensure that NC sweeps the polls and makes it known to the world that the decisions taken in 2019 (nullification of Article 370) and thereafter are not acceptable to the people here,” a former minister and senior NC politician told TOI.
The NC functionary said that though neither Farooq nor Omar is keen to contest, the party “will force” them to be in the electoral fray as they alone have the capacity to not only keep the flock together but also attract influential politicians from other parties.
Omar has been maintaining since 2020 that he will never contest assembly elections as long as J&K is a Union Territory. His father, Farooq Abdullah, had told the media in Jammu after the poll schedules were announced on Friday that Omar would refrain from contesting. Farooq had asserted that he himself would be in the fray, and Omar would contest and take over only after J&K’s statehood was restored. The next day, in Srinagar, Omar said he was under party pressure to “lead from the front”.
A senior NC politician busy giving the final touches to NC’s election manifesto said “people who matter in such matters” are unanimously in favour of Dr Abdullah and Omar contesting. He added that the father-son duo would finalise the names of candidates for the first phase of polls and that this would be announced later this week.
Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Sonwar and Beerwah are the assembly seats which NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and others of his family have contested. Sheikh Abdullah won the interim election of 1975, followed by the general assembly election in 1977, with a massive margin from Ganderbal. Later, his son and successor Farooq returned from the same constituency in 1983, 1987 and 1996.
Omar, who was returned to the Lok Sabha from Central Kashmir in 1998, 1999 and 2004, contested his maiden assembly election from Ganderbal months after his nomination as NC president. He, however, lost to PDP’s Qazi Mohammad Afzal. Later, he contested and won the second assembly election from the same constituency in 2008. In 2014, he contested from Sonwar, in Srinagar, and Beerwah, in Budgam district. Though Omar lost to PDP’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir in Sonwar, he defeated Independent candidate Nazir Ahmed Khan in a neck-and-neck fight in Beerwah.
This time Omar is likely to be fielded either from Beerwah, or from Budgam which stands vacant after Aga Ruhullah moved to Parliament.
Iltija is among the eight PDP leaders whose nomination was announced. Another list for the first phase will be out in the next two days, PDP sources said.
Iltija’s grandfather, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, contested several elections as Congress’ candidate from Bijbehara. In 1983, Mufti contested from Bijbehara and Homeshalibugh in Anantnag district of South Kashmir but was defeated in both by NC.
In 1996, Mufti Sayeed fielded his wife, Gulshan Mufti, and daughter Mehbooba as Congress candidates from Pahalgam and Bijbehara, respectively. While his wife lost to NC, daughter Mehbooba registered her maiden victory from Bijbehara.
Following Mufti Sayeed’s death in 2016, CM Mehbooba inducted her brother, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, a professional cinematographer, as minister of tourism in her cabinet in 2017. He functioned as minister for two years before Mehbooba’s govt fell due to BJP’s withdrawal of support.
In its first list PDP has fielded high-profile youth leader Waheedur Rehman Para from Pulwama, while Mehbooba’s maternal uncle, Sartaj Madni, has been repeated from Devsar segment of South Kashmir.
PDP, meanwhile, announced on Monday the candidature of Iltija Mufti, the 36-year-old daughter of party president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti, from Bijbehara seat, marking the political debut of the third generation of the Mufti dynasty — after maternal grandfather Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and mother Mehbooba.Both her grandfather and mother had contested Bijbehara seat. Iltija serves as Mehbooba Mufti’s media adviser.
“They have both been CMs, MLAs and MPs several times. Contesting assembly elections for a UT government that will apparently function under a lieutenant governor is below their dignity. But this election is a matter of our prestige and existence. It’s a matter of J&K’s dignity. Like 1977 and 1996, we will ensure that NC sweeps the polls and makes it known to the world that the decisions taken in 2019 (nullification of Article 370) and thereafter are not acceptable to the people here,” a former minister and senior NC politician told TOI.
The NC functionary said that though neither Farooq nor Omar is keen to contest, the party “will force” them to be in the electoral fray as they alone have the capacity to not only keep the flock together but also attract influential politicians from other parties.
Omar has been maintaining since 2020 that he will never contest assembly elections as long as J&K is a Union Territory. His father, Farooq Abdullah, had told the media in Jammu after the poll schedules were announced on Friday that Omar would refrain from contesting. Farooq had asserted that he himself would be in the fray, and Omar would contest and take over only after J&K’s statehood was restored. The next day, in Srinagar, Omar said he was under party pressure to “lead from the front”.
A senior NC politician busy giving the final touches to NC’s election manifesto said “people who matter in such matters” are unanimously in favour of Dr Abdullah and Omar contesting. He added that the father-son duo would finalise the names of candidates for the first phase of polls and that this would be announced later this week.
Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Sonwar and Beerwah are the assembly seats which NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and others of his family have contested. Sheikh Abdullah won the interim election of 1975, followed by the general assembly election in 1977, with a massive margin from Ganderbal. Later, his son and successor Farooq returned from the same constituency in 1983, 1987 and 1996.
Omar, who was returned to the Lok Sabha from Central Kashmir in 1998, 1999 and 2004, contested his maiden assembly election from Ganderbal months after his nomination as NC president. He, however, lost to PDP’s Qazi Mohammad Afzal. Later, he contested and won the second assembly election from the same constituency in 2008. In 2014, he contested from Sonwar, in Srinagar, and Beerwah, in Budgam district. Though Omar lost to PDP’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir in Sonwar, he defeated Independent candidate Nazir Ahmed Khan in a neck-and-neck fight in Beerwah.
This time Omar is likely to be fielded either from Beerwah, or from Budgam which stands vacant after Aga Ruhullah moved to Parliament.
Iltija is among the eight PDP leaders whose nomination was announced. Another list for the first phase will be out in the next two days, PDP sources said.
Iltija’s grandfather, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, contested several elections as Congress’ candidate from Bijbehara. In 1983, Mufti contested from Bijbehara and Homeshalibugh in Anantnag district of South Kashmir but was defeated in both by NC.
In 1996, Mufti Sayeed fielded his wife, Gulshan Mufti, and daughter Mehbooba as Congress candidates from Pahalgam and Bijbehara, respectively. While his wife lost to NC, daughter Mehbooba registered her maiden victory from Bijbehara.
Following Mufti Sayeed’s death in 2016, CM Mehbooba inducted her brother, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, a professional cinematographer, as minister of tourism in her cabinet in 2017. He functioned as minister for two years before Mehbooba’s govt fell due to BJP’s withdrawal of support.
In its first list PDP has fielded high-profile youth leader Waheedur Rehman Para from Pulwama, while Mehbooba’s maternal uncle, Sartaj Madni, has been repeated from Devsar segment of South Kashmir.