Heat in the valley

The second phase of the assembly elections was crucial for several high-profile leaders

- TARIQ BHAT

IN THE FIERCELY contested Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the stakes were particularly high in the second phase, on September 25. The first phase, on September 18, had seen a strong voter turnout of more than 61 per cent, and the second, covering 26 assembly segments, featured former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari and BJP state president Ravinder Raina.

Omar is fighting to reclaim the family stronghold of Ganderbal, which his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah won in 1977. In 2014, Omar, the sitting MLA, made way for Ishfaq Jabbar, who won, but the latter was expelled from the National Conference in 2023 for “anti-party” activities. While the NC retains support in Ganderbal, the entry of Bashir Mir, of the People’s Democratic Party, has made the race competitive. In 2014, Mir had narrowly lost to NC’s Mian Altaf by just over 1,400 votes in the Kangan constituency.

“The people of Ganderbal have been voting for 70 years but never had access to their representative,” said Mir. “This time, they want a candidate who is local and accessible.” Observers, however, believe that Mir’s “outsider” dig at Omar may not resonate, as he himself is not from Ganderbal.

Omar also faces competition from Jabbar, now an independent, as well as from jailed cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay and Awami Ittehad Party’s Sheikh Ashiq. Omar has labelled Wagay and Ashiq as “BJP agents” trying to split the vote.

Omar is relying on the NC’s grassroots support and past contributions, including the setting up of a Central university in Ganderbal. In a rare emotional moment at a party meeting after filing his nomination, he removed his cap and appealed to his supporters: “My honour is in your hands.”