J&K: CM Omar Abdullah retains Ganderbal seat, vacates Budgam amid political shifts
Among the newly elected members are 51 first-timers, including the youngest member, BJP MLA Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, at just 29 years old.
Jammu and Kashmir News: On Monday, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated his Budgam assembly seat while maintaining his representation of the Ganderbal constituency, as announced by pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul in the assembly. Abdullah's decision follows his successful election in the recent Jammu and Kashmir elections.
Successful election campaigns
Omar Abdullah, 54, secured the Budgam seat by defeating People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi by a substantial margin of 18,485 votes. In addition, he triumphed in Ganderbal, a traditional stronghold for the Abdullah family, overcoming PDP's Bashir Ahmed Mir by 10,574 votes. This constituency has historical significance for the Abdullah family, as it has been represented by his father, Farooq Abdullah, and his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference (NC).
Impact on national conference strength
With Abdullah’s departure from the Budgam seat, the National Conference's strength in the 95-member assembly has been adjusted to 41. However, the party continues to maintain 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).
Oath ceremony highlights
Earlier in the day, pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul administered the oath to the newly elected assembly members. Notably, Chief Minister Abdullah took his oath in Kashmiri, addressing previous criticisms about his fluency in his native language. While he is fluent in English, his command of local languages like Hindi, Urdu, and Kashmiri has been criticized over the years.
Among the newly elected members are 51 first-timers, including the youngest member, BJP MLA Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, at just 29 years old. In contrast, NC veteran Abdul Rahim Rather, representing Chrar-e-Sharief, stands as the oldest member at 80, having been elected for a record seventh term alongside party colleague Ali Mohammad Sagar from Khanyar.
