'Bhaago Bakro Sher Aa Gaya': National Conference Workers On Omar Abdullah's Candidature For Jammu And Kashmir Elections

A day after releasing the first list of candidates with 18 names, the National Conference (NC) on Tuesday (27 August) released the second list of candidates with 32 names for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.

NC is contesting in alliance with Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) in 85 of the 90 assembly seats, while five seats will have a 'friendly contest.'

In total, NC is contesting in 56 seats, 51 in alliance and five in a 'friendly contest' with Congress. Till now, it has already declared candidates for 50 seats for the three-phase assembly elections.

In the second list, the most prominent name is of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who will be contesting from the Ganderbal assembly constituency, where he won in 2008.

The seat has been earlier represented by his father Farooq Abdullah and grandfather Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah multiple times, both have been the CM of Jammu and Kashmir when it was a state.

The party workers celebrated Omar Abdullah's candidature with slogans like, "Bhaago bhaago bakro, sher aa gaya (Run away goats, the lion has arrived)" and called him a sitara (star).

Earlier, Abdullah decided to abstain from the election after his loss in the 2024 Lok Sabha election against Engineer Rashid in Baramulla, who is in jail in a terror funding case.

The first phase of elections is scheduled for 18 September, followed by the second phase on 25 September and the third on 1 October. The vote counting will take place on 4 October.