National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah has urged his son, party Vice President Omar Abdullah, to contest the upcoming assembly keeping in mind the interests of the people.
Dr. Abdullah made this appeal while speaking to the media after paying obeisance at the Khanqah-e-Moula Shrine. "Omar Abdullah should contest the coming assembly polls for the welfare of the people," he said.
Omar Abdullah has maintained that he will not participate in assembly elections as long as Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) remains a Union Territory (UT).
After the abrogation of Article 370 and division of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories (UTs), Omar Abdullah had said he would not run in Assembly elections until statehood was restored in Jammu and Kashmir.
He recently reaffirmed his decision, saying “I will lead the campaign of my party in the Assembly polls as and when they are held in J&K UT.
“But I will not contest the polls as I don’t want to humiliate myself by entering a UT Assembly,” said Omar, who lost the recent parliamentary election from Baramulla to independent candidate and former MLA ‘Engineer’ Rashid, who is currently imprisoned in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
However, Farooq Abdullah stressed that his son Omar would need to contest the Assembly elections, as the people of J&K sought relief, which could only be provided by political leaders participating in the Assembly polls.
“There is a mess in J&K and we have to give relief to the public and resolve their issues of concern. There is growing unemployment and rising inflation. We have to resolve the public issues and provide relief to them,” Abdullah said.
Assembly elections are scheduled in Jammu and Kashmir by the end of September 30 this year on the directives of the Supreme Court.
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