Omar Abdullah vacates Budgam seat, retains Ganderbal
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the Budgam Assembly seat on Monday but retained his Ganderbal constituency, as confirmed by pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul.
Abdullah, 54, won Budgam in the recent elections, defeating People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi by 18,485 votes. He also secured Ganderbal, a stronghold of the Abdullah family, defeating PDP's Bashir Ahmed Mir by 10,574 votes. Abdullah previously served as the MLA for Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first term as Chief Minister.
The constituency has been held by his father, Farooq Abdullah, and his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference (NC).
With Abdullah's decision to vacate Budgam, the NC's strength in the 95-member Assembly stands at 41.
Abdullah, 54, won Budgam in the recent elections, defeating People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi by 18,485 votes. He also secured Ganderbal, a stronghold of the Abdullah family, defeating PDP's Bashir Ahmed Mir by 10,574 votes. Abdullah previously served as the MLA for Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first term as Chief Minister.
The constituency has been held by his father, Farooq Abdullah, and his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference (NC).
With Abdullah's decision to vacate Budgam, the NC's strength in the 95-member Assembly stands at 41.