Omar Abdullah Files Second Nomination for J&K Assembly Polls From Budgam

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah filed his second nomination from Budgam for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. He emphasized the strength of his party despite contesting from two seats. The elections, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, will take place in three phases.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Thursday submitted his nomination for the Budgam seat ahead of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. This marks his second nomination, following his initial filing from Ganderbal.

Addressing his decision to contest from two constituencies, Abdullah stated, 'Me contesting elections from two seats is not a proof of weakness, it is a proof of the strength of the National Conference. Whether it is Baramulla, Anantnag, or Srinagar, the trend is seen in favor of the National Conference.' He also highlighted the misgovernance and allegations of corruption over the last five to six years, promising thorough investigations. Abdullah reiterated that the decision to revoke Article 370 has left the people of Jammu and Kashmir dissatisfied.

'We want to say that the decision taken for J&K, people of J&K are not happy with that. A positive surrounding could be seen here for the National Conference. And we hope that wherever our alliance partners are there, they will be successful,' he added. On Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu and Kashmir chief Ravinder Raina also filed his nomination for the Nowshera Assembly constituency.

Jammu and Kashmir will have 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs). These elections are the first in Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370, and polling will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1.

In a related development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a notification restricting the publication of exit polls during the election period. The ECI mandated that no exit polls be published via any media from 7 am on Wednesday, September 18 to 6:30 pm on Saturday, October 5.

(With inputs from agencies.)