Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah is set to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Baramulla constituency, as announced by his father and party chief Farooq Abdullah on Friday.
Farooq Abdullah confirmed that Omar Abdullah will be the NC’s candidate for the Baramulla seat, while influential Shia leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi will contest from Srinagar.
The polling for Srinagar and Baramulla constituencies is scheduled to take place in the fourth (May 13) and fifth (May 20) phases, respectively, during the Lok Sabha elections.
Jammu and Kashmir, along with Ladakh, collectively have six Lok Sabha seats, with three seats in Kashmir (Anantnag-Rajouri, Baramulla, Srinagar), two in Jammu (Udhampur, Jammu), and one in Ladakh.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) has forged an alliance with the Congress in the two Union Territories. The NC will contest on three Kashmir seats—Anantnag-Rajouri, Baramulla, and Srinagar—while the Congress will contest in Jammu, Udhampur, and Ladakh. Both parties are part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, aiming to counter the BJP-led NDA.
Earlier, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, was also part of the opposition alliance. However, after failing to reach a consensus on seat-sharing, Mehbooba decided to withdraw from the alliance.
Subsequently, the PDP announced its intent to contest on three seats in Kashmir.
On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with its alliance partners, will be contesting all five seats in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
The upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir are poised to witness intense political contests, with various parties and alliances vying to secure mandates across the diverse constituencies of the region.
