In Early Trends, Omar Abdullah Leading In Ganderbal, Budgam

The initial poll trends depict NC Vice President Omar Abdullah is leading in the two constituencies, Ganderbal and Budgam. His twin constituency bid is working so far.

In Ganderbal, Abdullah is leading with 1479 votes, where People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s Bashir Ahmed Mir, and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP)’s Sheikh Ashiq are trailing.

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In Budgam, NC leader is leading with 2174 votes where PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi is trailing.

Omar is contesting from the Ganderbal seat for the third time. Despite his initial disagreements on contesting for assembly elections considering Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory (UT) status, the party pressures prompted him to revise decision. In the 2002 election, when Omar contested from the constituency for the first time, he suffered defeat. However, in the 2008 polls, he wrested the same seat by defeating Afzal with a margin of 8,215 votes.

In the 2014 elections, however, decided to give the seat to Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar who was then a new face in the party. Jabbar secured victory by defeating PDP rival Afzal by a margin of 597 votes.

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The Budgam assembly segment is considered to be a NC bastion, as the party won the seat seven consecutive times since 1977. In the 2014 Assembly polls, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi won the election by defeating PDP rival Gh Mohi-ud-din Bhat by a margin of 2787 votes. Mehdi secured the seat in 2008 as well. NC’s Syed Ghulam Hussain Gilani represented the assembly four consecutive times – 1977, 1983, 1987 and 1996.