Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 22 (ANI): Intensifying the National Conference's campaign for the second phase of Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir scheduled for September 25th, the party's vice president and former CM Omar Abdullah on Sunday held a Shikara rally in the iconic 'Dal Lake' to support the NC's candidate.
Zadibal Assembly Constituency, Tanvir Sadiq. Aga Ruhullah MP from Srinagar also joined the Shikara Rally. Started from Nehru Park Ghat No. 7, the rally moved across Dal Lake, Omar Abdullah between the campaign posed with the Party's flag and also took a ride on Jet Ski.
Talking to ANI, Omar Abdullah said, "There are very few places in the world with such beauty and serenity. We are fortunate to live in this beauty, but there are many issues here. Through this campaign, we aim to showcase some of this beauty, but the pain and dissatisfaction felt by the people over the last decade may not be expressed in today's gathering, but it will be evident through their votes."
When asked about the first phase turnout, he added, "Voter turnout in the first phase was not as heavy as we expected. If you look at many areas, the voting this time is less compared to 2014. For instance, in Noorabad, where the turnout was around 80 percent in 2014, there has been a 20% decrease in polling this time. There are several areas where polling is down, and the current government should think about why this is happening."
"They claim everything is fine now; there is no boycott, no fear, yet many areas have seen a decline in turnout compared to 2014. Nonetheless, we are grateful to those who voted, and reports indicate that the performance of the National Conference and Congress has been decent. We hope the enthusiasm and passion seen during the campaign will translate into voter turnout on polling day," Omar Abdullah added.
The NC Vice President said that he expected the NC Congress alliance to form the government and didn't believe in survey that suggested a hung assembly
"It seems some people have a way to peek into the machines beforehand; we do not know what goes into them. The National Conference and Congress are contesting elections together to provide people with options and to avoid any suspicion of a hung assembly that the BJP would desire, as they would want an excuse to extend the governor's rule. The people of Jammu and Kashmir will not allow that. We do not conduct surveys; we trust the people, and we hope that this trust translates into votes. After October 8, we expect our alliance to form the government here," Omar said.
Talking about the campaign, Party MP 'Aga Syed Ruhullah' from Srinagar told ANI, "This is not the first time the Shikara rally is being held; similar rallies have taken place before. Whenever campaigning has happened in this constituency, the boat rally has been a part of it, and people have consistently responded in this way. We are going out to the people and encouraging them to express their opinions in a democratic manner, especially regarding how they want to see this state. We emphasise that they should vote against the decisions made regarding Article 370 and convey this message to the entire country through the assembly. Hopefully we will get the mandate from the people to form the government. He further added, 'The National Conference' is doing well in the valley. We have good reports from the first phase of polling from South Kashmir, and we expect to do better in Central Kashmir. In the same way, the alliance expects Congress to do better in Jammu."
JKNC leader and candidate from Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, said, "There is good enthusiasm; people are participating (in polling and rallying) in large numbers. Perhaps this will be the biggest rally right now in Dal Lake, Srinagar... As far as the alliance is concerned, we are confident that the National Conference and Congress will form the government."
The first phase of voting was completed in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 with a voter turnout of 61.13 per cent registered across 24 constituencies in seven districts, as per the Election Commission. The second and third phases will be held on September 25 and October 5, respectively. Vote counting will be conducted on October 8 along with the counting of votes in Haryana. (ANI)
