Omar Abdullah & Mehbooba Mufti, Both Former J&K CMs Accept Defeat

New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah conceded defeat from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat and expressed his good wishes to independent candidate and former legislator Engineer Abdul Rashid who is currently lodged in Tihar jail on UAPA charges. The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference vice president was trailing with 1.29 lakh votes. Exit polls had predicted Abdullah’s win. However, since the counting began at Baramulla Degree College on Tuesday, Rashid has maintained his lead from the beginning, which has been consolidating with each round of counting.

“I think it’s time to accept the inevitable. Congratulations to Engineer Rashid for his victory in North Kashmir. I don’t believe his victory will hasten his release from prison nor will the people of North Kashmir get the representation they have a right to but the voters have spoken and in a democracy that’s all that matters,” Abdullah wrote on X.

Of the six seats of J&K and Ladakh, the National Conference is leading in two constituencies, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in two and Independents in two seats each.

Notably, Rashid contested the elections as an Independent from Tihar Jail. His campaign was run by his son, Abrar Rashid, a university student. Rashid polled 291,610 votes, leading by 134,705 votes against Abdullah, who got 156,905 votes. People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone is in the third spot with 98,603 votes.

People’s Democratic Party president and also former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was trailing in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency by 222,831 votes to National Conference’s candidate Mian Altaf, who has so far got 432,590 votes.

Mufti, who also conceded her defeat from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, wrote on X, “Respecting the verdict of the people I thank my PDP workers & leaders for their hard work & support despite all the odds. My deepest gratitude to the people who voted for me. Winning & losing is part of the game & won’t deter us from our path. Congratulations to Mian Sahab for his victory”.