Srinagar, Apr 3: National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah will not contest the Lok Sabha polls due to health reasons.
This was disclosed by party Vice President Omar Abdullah while talking to media persons here.
“Our parliamentary committee will meet and take a decision about the candidates for Srinagar and Baramulla constituencies, “he said.
Asked about Mehbooba Mufti’s statement that PDP will contest the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir, he said, “It is her wish.”
Omar said that NC did not do anything wrong by deciding to contest the three seats in Kashmir.
“We won these three seats in the 2019 polls and we will contest again from there. During the District Development Council (DDC) elections, NC wanted to have seat-sharing arrangements based on 2019 parliamentary polls but PDP wanted it based on 2014 polls. And we accordingly did it. For the ongoing parliamentary polls, the 2019 polls were the basis and we stuck to it. We were expecting to have an electoral alliance with the PDP for the coming assembly polls. But it seems that PDP is not ready for it,” the NC Vice President said.
About Ghulam Nabi Azad’s decision to contest from Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch seat, Omar said, “I do not know why he took this decision. May be he did this thing due to some pressure or due to some other reason. But there is smothing fishy about it. Practically he should have contested from Udhampur-Doda constituency since Chenab Valley is his strong hold.”
Earlier, addressing a workers’ meeting at Sanat Nagar in the Chanpora constituency, Omar asked the people of Srinagar to actively participate in the upcoming parliament polls to make their voices heard in New Delhi.
Asking the people of Srinagar to shun apathy for voting, he said, “For different reasons, a large section of the people of Srinagar used to refrain from voting. But now when no boycott calls and guns would be around, people should vote. There is nothing that holds you back. You should use this opportunity to send a credible voice to New Delhi. These elections aren’t about daily issues.
These elections allow us to show Delhi and the world how the actions of August 5, 2019, have fared in Kashmir. If you are happy with the decisions then nothing holds you back from voting BJP and its local subsidiaries. If you aren’t happy with the decisions then you have to come out in large numbers and vote for NC.”
Exhorting the party functionaries to prepare the people of Srinagar for voting, Omar said, “This time the urban apathy for voting would prove dangerous for our future. Our brothers and sisters in Srinagar should not miss the opportunity.
Our workers have to shoulder the critical responsibility of helping people shun their inhibitions. I am sure that the voting numbers in the forthcoming elections will far exceed the previous percentage. Our people are well aware of how grave the situation is and how it can worsen if they choose not to vote.”
NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Political Advisor to Vice President Mudassar Shahmiri, Provincial Women’s Wing President Sabiya Qadri, Youth National Conference Provincial President Salman Ali Sagar, District President Srinagar Peer Afaq Ahmad, and Youth National Conference, NC Women’s Wing, and parent body functionaries were also present on the occasion.
The meeting was convened by the incharge constituency Chanapora Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo.