Srinagar, May 2 :
National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Thursday filed nomination papers from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir.
The last date of filing nomination in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency is May 3 and the polling will be held on May 20
Omar arrived at the office of District Magistrate, Baramulla, Minga Sherpa, on Thursday morning who is the returning officer for the constituency, and filed his papers.
After filing his nomination papers Omar, who was accompanied by senior party leaders said that he was hopeful that NC and INDIA alliance partner Congress would win all six seats of erstwhile state of J&K.
He said he filed the nomination for the Lok Sabha constituency after 20 years.
“I have filed my nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections. It is after ten years that I filed any nomination paper in J&K. This shows the health of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. The previous assembly elections were held in 2014. In the last 10 years, Assembly elections have not been conducted in Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar told reporters in Baramulla
He said the importance of this upcoming election is that it is the first major election after August 5, 2019- when J&K special status was scrapped and the state was downgraded into two union territories.
“We are hopeful that the National Conference and our INDIA alliance partner who are fighting elections together will win all five seats of J&K and one in Ladakh,” he said.
Omar said that NC opposes the decision taken on August 5 and they were asking for votes to fight against it.
The former chief minister said the Election Commission was giving BJP a “free hand” to use religion in elections.
“The other parties are asked to follow the model code of conduct and they are told that they can’t ask for votes on the basis of religion. But there is no such bar on BJP. The star campaigners of the BJP repeatedly use religion to divide people. Be it “mangalsutras”, land or cow slaughter issues, the Country is being divided on the basis of religion, and attempts are being made to spread hatred,” he said.
With Omar filing the nomination papers, the battle for the north Kashmir Lok Sabha seat has begun. Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Lone and jailed Awami Ittehad Party leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rasheed has already filed nomination papers from this north Kashmir constituency.
