Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Ending all speculations, National Conference on Friday April 12 declared its vice-president Omar Abdullah as the candidate for Baramulla parliamentary seat while senior leader Aga Syed Ruhullah has been fielded from Srinagar parliamentary seat.
NC president Farooq Abdullah announced the candidature of the two candidates at a press conference at party headquarters in Srinagar. The announcement pits Omar Abdullah in direct contest with PC President Sajad Lone on Baramulla seat while Aga Ruhullah faces PDP Youth president Waheed Ur Rehman Parra and Apni Party’s provincial president Ashraf Mir on the Srinagar seat.
Omar had contested his first parliament elections from Srinagar in 1998 and then became a minister for state for external affairs in the BJP-led NDA government. He was chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir between 2008 and 2014 in the then NC and Congress coalition government. He has contested four assembly elections since 2002 from Srinagar's Sonwar, Ganderbal and Beerwah segments. From the Sonwar segment, he was defeated by then PDP's candidate Ashraf Mir, with whom he will be locked in parliament elections also. Omar won from Beerwah in 2014 which is now part of Baramulla Parliamentary seat.
Aga Ruhullah is a prominent Shia leader from Budgam town, who was a fierce critic of his party after abrogation of Article 370. A three time MLA, who has won all assembly elections in 2002, 2008 and 2014, he was a minister in NC-Congress government between 2008-2014. Ruhullah has significant Shia vote support in Budgam, Beerwah, Pattan and Sonawari assembly segments. But his candidature is tricky for NC as it is to be seen whether sunni votes spread across the Baramulla seat will support him.
PDP and Apni Party had nominated their candiates earlier and it was only National Conference which was delaying the announcement.
Srinagar, which consists of 18 assembly segments of Pulwama, Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal is slated for parliamentary elections on May 14 in Phase 4, while Baramulla that is spread from Budgam to LoC in Keran in Kupwara district will go for polls on May 20 in the fifth phase.
For Anantnag-Rajouri seat, NC has declared former minister and Gujjar leader Mian Altaf as their candidate who will be locked in political battle with two former chief ministers, Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad. BJP is yet to announce its candidate on the seat and may support Azad.
