After Omar’s entry from the Baramulla parliamentary seat, the constituency will see a tough contest between two top leaders of Kashmir
After National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah decided to contest Lok Sabha polls from Baramulla, Peoples Conference chairperson Sajad Lone has sought support of Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party, Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and political leaders who aren’t aligned with any mainstream political parties in north Kashmir, leaders privy to the developments said.
“We are hopeful the leaders and parties opposing Omar will help us as only Lone can defeat the NC on this seat,” a senior leader of the PC said, requesting anonymity. “The entry of Omar has made the contest tough, but being a native candidate, Lone has an edge over his rival who should have contested from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. People see the former chief minister as a tourist,” the leader added.
After Omar’s entry from the Baramulla parliamentary seat, the constituency will see a tough contest between two top leaders of Kashmir. While Omar is relying on his cadres and leaders of north Kashmir, Lone who was first to declare his candidature from Baramulla, has been campaigning in north Kashmir, especially in Kupwara which is considered as a strong hold of the PC. In the last assembly elections, the PC won both the seats in Kupwara district.
Baramulla goes to poll in the fifth phase on May 18. So far, Apni Party, DPAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have not announced their candidates. Sources said that Lone has sought support from all three parties and some powerful leaders of north Kashmir, including Yasir Reshi, Nazir Khan and Safina Baig, who hold influence in Sonawari, Baramulla, Sangrama and Chadoora. Safina and Khan are currently acting as chairpersons of Baramulla and Budgam districts.
Recently, Bukhari, Lone and BJP J&K in-charge Tarun Chugh had met at Bukhari’s residence in Srinagar. Omar has been accusing Lone, Bukhari and Azad as “A, B and C teams of the BJP.”
Apart from NC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PC, Apni Party and DPAP have a considerable vote bank in Baramulla seat, which is spread over Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Budgam districts.
