Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and vice president of the National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah, will contest the upcoming Assembly elections from the Ganderbal constituency. The announcement was made on Sunday by Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a Lok Sabha member, and Nasir Aslam Wani, NC provincial president, in the presence of Omar Abdullah and senior NC leader Mian Altaf Ahmad, who is also an MP from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.

The declaration came during Omar Abdullah's visit to Nuner village in the Ganderbal district, where political activist Sayim Mustafa joined the National Conference. Sayim Mustafa had previously contested the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat but was defeated by Syed Ruhullah Mehdi. This decision marks a shift from Omar Abdullah's earlier stance, where he had stated that he would not participate in elections as long as Jammu and Kashmir remained a union territory.

Omar Abdullah, who served as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2009 to 2015, is a seasoned politician with a long-standing career. He has been a three-time Lok Sabha MP and has represented the Ganderbal (2008-2014) and Beerwah (2014-2019) Assembly constituencies. Notably, he lost the 2002 Assembly elections from Ganderbal to Qazi Mohammad Afzal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued a notice for the first phase of the three-phased Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. The first phase, covering 24 Assembly segments across the Valley and the Jammu division, will take place on September 18. The second phase is scheduled for September 25, and the final phase will be held on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4, and the entire election process is expected to conclude by October 6.

Jammu and Kashmir have been without an elected government since June 2018, following the BJP's withdrawal from the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government. The state was placed under Governor's rule, and the Assembly was dissolved by then-Governor Satya Pal Malik. The region underwent significant changes on August 5, 2019, with the abrogation of Article 370 and its bifurcation into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

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