Omar Abdullah Hits Budgam Campaign Trail Amid Party Rift

• Omar Abdullah campaigns in Budgam by-election, seat he vacated last year.
• Criticizes PDP for allying with BJP after 2014 elections, linking them to Article 370 abrogation.
• Faces internal challenge from NC MP Aga Ruhullah, turning race into a personal and party test.
• Positions contest as NC versus BJP battle to consolidate support.

GG News Bureau
Srinagar, 7th Nov: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hit the campaign trail in Budgam today, seeking to reclaim the Assembly seat he had vacated last year. The by-election is viewed as the first real test of Abdullah’s popularity amid Opposition claims of poor governance during his last year in office.

Addressing supporters, Abdullah attacked the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for betraying public trust after the 2014 elections. He said, “After elections, we have kept the promise and ensured that the BJP is never allowed to be part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Unlike those who got your votes in 2014 in the name of fighting the BJP. They (PDP) joined them soon after elections and betrayed your trust.” He linked the abrogation of Article 370 directly to the PDP-BJP alliance, emphasizing that he chose integrity over political expediency.

Omar Abdullah positioned himself against the BJP as well, blaming the party for robbing Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and statehood, while presenting the by-election as a broader NC versus BJP battle.

However, Abdullah’s campaign faces an additional challenge from within the National Conference. Aga Ruhullah, NC MP and a key figure in Budgam for two decades, has openly opposed the Chief Minister, calling on him to resign and apologize for failing to fulfill party promises. Ruhullah insists his criticism is about upholding the party’s ideology, not an anti-party stance.

The Budgam by-election has thus become more than a vote for the constituency—it is a test of Abdullah’s personal prestige and control over the NC, with internal dissent and external opposition shaping a complex electoral contest.

Abdullah had previously won Budgam by a margin of 18,000 votes but vacated it after winning Ganderbal in dual contests. With internal party divisions now in the open, the by-election is poised to be a significant indicator of both his leadership and the NC’s cohesion in the Valley.