Omar Abdullah Resigns Budgam Seat, Retains Ganderbal in Jammu and Kashmir Elections
In a significant political move, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has resigned from the Budgam assembly seat, choosing to retain the Ganderbal constituency. This decision was announced by Pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul in the House. Ajaz Jan, a National Conference MLA from Poonch, also confirmed the news.
Omar Abdullah had emerged victorious in both the Budgam and Ganderbal seats during the recent assembly elections. He won the Budgam seat by a margin of 18,485 votes against the Peoples Democratic Party’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi. In Ganderbal, he defeated PDP’s Bashir Ahmed Mir by 10,574 votes.
Ganderbal holds historical significance for the Abdullah family, as it has been represented by Omar’s father, Farooq Abdullah, and grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, who founded the National Conference. Omar Abdullah previously served as an MLA from Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first term as Chief Minister.
After taking the oath as Chief Minister last Wednesday, Omar Abdullah emphasized a people-friendly approach by instructing the police to avoid traffic disruptions during his road movements. He was sworn in by LG Manoj Sinha at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar. Surinder Kumar, MLA from Nowshera, was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister.
The National Conference, led by Omar Abdullah, has formed a government with the support of the INDIA alliance and four independents. The NC-Congress alliance secured a majority in the assembly elections, with NC winning 42 seats and Congress 6 seats. The BJP won 29 seats, while the Peoples’ Democratic Party secured three seats. Other parties, including People’s Conference, CPI-M, and AAP, won one seat each, and seven seats were claimed by independents.
This election marked the first in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, with results declared on October 8.
Doubts Revealed
Omar Abdullah -: Omar Abdullah is a politician from Jammu and Kashmir, a region in India. He belongs to the National Conference party and has served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Budgam -: Budgam is a district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the areas where elections are held to choose representatives for the legislative assembly.
Ganderbal -: Ganderbal is another district in Jammu and Kashmir. It is known for being a stronghold of the National Conference party, which Omar Abdullah is a part of.
National Conference -: The National Conference is a political party in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been a significant political force in the region and is associated with the Abdullah family.
PDP -: PDP stands for People’s Democratic Party, which is another political party in Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the main rivals of the National Conference.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a part of the Indian Constitution that gave special autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. It was abrogated, or removed, in 2019, changing the region’s status.
NC-Congress alliance -: The NC-Congress alliance refers to the partnership between the National Conference and the Indian National Congress, two political parties that joined forces for the elections in Jammu and Kashmir.