CM Omar Abdullah vacates Budgam Assembly seat, retains family bastion Ganderbal

Aseem — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 12:05:07 +0000

Jammu and Kashmir news: In a significant political move, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has vacated the Budgam assembly seat while retaining the Ganderbal constituency, as announced by Pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday.

CM Omar Abdullah successfully secured both seats – Ganderbal and Budgam – in the recent assembly elections, but his choice to keep Ganderbal underscores its importance to his political legacy.

CM Abdullah had defeated Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP)’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi to win the Budgam Assembly Seat in the recently concluded Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections.

A Stronghold for the Abdullah Family

The Ganderbal seat has long been regarded as a stronghold for the Abdullah family. Omar Abdullah previously served as an MLA for Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first tenure as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah keeps Ganderbal assembly seat and resigns from Budgam seat,” Mubarak Gul stated in the assembly, confirming the change.

Impact on National Conference’s Strength in J-K Assembly

With Omar Abdullah’s resignation from Budgam, the strength of the National Conference in the 95-member assembly has now been reduced to 41 seats. However, the party still maintains a comfortable majority, bolstered by the support of six Congress MLAs, five Independents, and one MLA each from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

As Omar Abdullah navigates his role in the assembly, his focus remains on addressing the needs and concerns of his constituents, particularly in Ganderbal, as he embarks on this new chapter in his political career.

Jammu and Kashmir MLAs administered oath

During his first tenure as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014, Omar Abdullah took lessons to improve his speaking skills in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri languages. And on Monday, 21 October, Omar Abdullah, son of Farooq Abdullah, took oath as MLA in Kashmiri.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary took oath in English.

The oath-taking ceremony of the MLAs marked an end to the six-year-long legislative hiatus in Jammu and Kashmir.

J-K Demands Restoration of Statehood

On 19 October, the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has passed a resolution urging the Union Government to restore the statehood of the Union Territory.

The Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution for restoration of statehood in its original form.

The Cabinet has authorised CM Abdullah to take up the matter with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Government of India for restoration of statehood.

Omar Abdullah: From Oberoi employee to Jammu Kashmir's next CM | What the timeline says

Aseem — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:06:47 +0000

Omar Abdullah, who was once elected as India’s youngest Chief Minister, is all set to assume power again. Abdullah’s party, Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) won the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024, the Union Territory’s first polls after Article 370 was abrogated in 2019.

Omar Abdullah is the third-generation politician from the Abdullah family, one of the most prominent families in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar’s grandfather, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, founded the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) in 1939.

Mint brings you a timeline of how the UK-born Omar Abdullah went from being a former ITC Global, and Oberoi employee, to becoming J&K’s next CM.

Omar Abdullah’s political trajectory

1998:Omar Abdullah began his political career at the age of 28, making him the youngest elected MP from elected from the Lal Chowk constituency, one of the major eight seats in J&K.

1999:Omar is re-elected to Lok Sabha, and appointed the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government.

Following Vajpayee government’s fall after just 13 months of being in power, Omar Abdullah contests as NC candidate again from Srinagar.

Also Read | Omar Abdullah, the reluctant candidate now set to be J&K’s first CM post Art 370

2001:Omar is elevated to the role of Union Minister of State for External Affairs. Around a year, and a half later, Omar quits Parliament to contest for state elections.

2002: Omar becomes the first in the Abdullah family to lose the Ganderbal family bastion by 2000 votes. Considered a NC stronghold, it has been represented by Farooq in 1983, 1987 and 1996. People’s Democratic Party’s(PDP) rule begins after JKNC decide to not hold any stakes.

2004: The youngest Abdullah son is re-elected from Srinagar.

2008: Abdullah made an emotional “I Am A Muslim, I Am An Indian and I see no distinction between the two” speech during the confidence motion in Parliament over Indo-US nuclear deal. In a column in Mint, Omar had called it “the greatest speech of my political career.”

I Am A Muslim, I Am An Indian and I see no distinction between the two.

2008: Omar Abdullah wins from the Ganderbal seat, garnering 28 seats for the NC, with Congress as its ally.

Also Read | Nomination of 5 MLAs would lead to tensions with Centre, says Omar Abdullah

2009: Omar Abdullah is sworn in as J&K Chief Minister at the age of 38 years, making him one of the youngest in Indian history to hold such a position.

2014: Omar wins from the Beerwah assembly seat by a margin of over 1000 votes, but NC loses the election. PDP-BJP alliance forms the government

2019: Both Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were put under house-arrest in the run up to abrogation of Article 370.

Also Read | J&K election results: Omar Abdullah open to talks with PDP’s Mufti if…

March 2020: Omar Abdullah is released from detention after spending seven months at a government guest house Hariniwas.

December 2020: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of six parties including NC win the District Development Council (DDC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sep-Oct 2024: Omar Abdullah wins the Assembly Elections from Ganderbal, Budgam, despite his earlier reluctance of even contesting the elections. NC-Congress alliance win 49 seats. Farooq Abdullah announces his son as the CM for the second time.

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