NEW DELHI: National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah, who is contesting the J&K election from Ganderbal and Budgam assembly seats, gave a stern message to ally Congress over campaigning as he said the party “hasn’t done as much in Jammu“.
Omar Abdullah, who is also Farooq Abdullah’s son, said on Wednesday he hopes Rahul Gandhi focuses on Jammu as “what Congress does in Kashmir is not that important”.
“I hope after (Congress MP) Rahul (Gandhi) is done campaigning in one or two seats in Kashmir, he focuses in Jammu. Ultimately, what the Congress does in Kashmir is not that important but what the Congress does in Jammu is important. Unfortunately, Congress hasn’t done as much in the plains of Jammu as we would expect them to do,” said National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
A possible chink in the NC-Congress tie-up comes even as polling for the second phase of the J&K election is under way.
“First phase (of polling) went well. We expect a good turnout from the second phase also,” said National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
Omar Abdullah, J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra and BJP’s J&K chief Ravinder Raina are among 239 candidates vying for 26 constituencies in the second phase of the UT’s three-stage assembly polls.
This round covers six districts – Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam in Kashmir and Jammu division’s Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi.
The Abdullah family has represented Ganderbal since 1977, beginning with party founder Sheikh Abdullah, followed by his son Farooq Abdullah, and later Omar, who won the seat in 2008 after losing in 2002.
The first phase of J&K elections recorded a voter turnout of 59 per cent across 24 constituencies, covering seven districts in south Kashmir and Jammu division on either side of the Pir Panjal range.
The voting process proceeded peacefully amid high security, according to J&K’s chief electoral officer PK Pole, and the final turnout could slightly increase once data from remote areas and postal ballots are included.