The National Conference faces a leadership dilemma ahead of assembly polls. Omar Abdullah, initially unwilling to run, may reconsider due to party pressure, while his father, Farooq Abdullah, is ready to step in.
Political parties are wasting no time in prepping for the assembly polls, which were announced on Friday, with the National Conference entering election mode almost immediately..
NC, however, finds itself in a leadership dilemma. With party vice-president Omar Adudullah having earlier said he would not contest polls till Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is restored, the onus may fall onto his father and party president, Farooq Abdullah.
Omar, however, seems to have softened the stance after the ECI announced the poll dates. The former CM told reporters in Srinagar that he will be contesting elections after all, saying “At my personal level I don’t want to fight elections but there is a lot of pressure from my party. I will talk to my colleagues and will reach a final decision.”
“What is cause of concern for me is that my father is getting older and is not always in good health. He told me that if I don’t fight elections, he will have to, which is a concern for me. We will reach a consensus after talking to colleagues and my father,” Omar said in a departure from his previous statements.
His father, Farooq Abdullah, who is touring the Jammu region, meanwhile, said he will contest assembly polls given his son’s unwillingness to participate in assembly polls till J&K is UT. “Omar won’t fight elections but I will. When statehood will be restored, I will step down and Omar will fight from that seat.”
Within the NC, leaders remain divided as to who between the two Abdullahs will contest assembly polls. While most of the younger leaders want Omar to reconsider his previous decision and contest the assembly polls, a certain section also sees merit in Farooq contesting.
National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said things will clear up in a couple of days, adding, “In a couple of days the situation will be clear.”
While Farooq contested his last elections in 2019 and was elected the MP from Srinagar, Omar faced defeat in his last outing from Baramulla during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
Omar was defeated by the jailed leader, Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid, took the win with a margin of over two lakh votes. The defeat was viewed as a setback for NC in north Kashmir.
The NC will look to bounce back in the assembly polls, eyeing the maximum number of seats from Kashmir to put itself in a position to form the government on October 4 when results are due.
