Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah filed nomination papers from the Budgam assembly seat for upcoming elections on Thursday.
He was accompanied by the senior party leaders including the incumbent Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.
Earlier on Wednesday, Omar filed nomination papers from the Ganderbal assembly seat making him the first candidate from across Jammu and Kashmir, who will be contesting on two seats in the upcoming assembly elections.
During his address in Ganderbal, Omar made an emotional appeal to the voters in Ganderbal to make him successful in the upcoming assembly polls.
"I have filled the (nomination) papers from Ganderbal. Let's not talk about who is contesting from where. The people of Ganderbal have elected me thrice as a member of Parliament and once as an MLA. I gave up my seat to Ishfaq Jabbar only because I promised him to do so and then he became an MLA but he cheated the people of Ganderbal. Today, we are going to fight elections for the development of Ganderbal," Abdullah said after filling his nomination.
This marks the return of the NC leader to the constituency that he represented from 2009 to 2014 when he was the chief minister of the NC-Congress coalition government in the erstwhile state of J-K.
He fought and won the 2014 assembly polls from Beerwah assembly seat in central Kashmir's Budgam district. Abdullah had also contested from the Sonawar seat in Srinagar, but was defeated there by then PDP leader Mohammad Ashraf Mir.
Reports had earlier said that the party’s decision to field Abdullah from the constituency has caused unrest among party members and supporters, with senior NC leader Aga Syed Mehmood expressing dissatisfaction with the decision.
Abdullah had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla seat in north Kashmir, but was defeated by Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid who is in Tihar jail on terror funding charges.
(Inputs from agencies)
