Omar Abdullah election result 2024 LIVE: Counting of votes begins in Ganderbal, Budgam

The former chief minister is engaged in a high-stakes contest to reclaim the Ganderbal assembly seat, which is considered a stronghold of the National Conference, having elected three generations of the Abdullah family.

NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah won the seat in 1977, followed by his son Farooq Abdullah, who secured victories in 1983, 1987, and 1996. Omar Abdullah was later elected from the constituency in 2008.

Entering the electoral battle in Ganderbal marked Omar's return to the constituency he represented from 2009 to 2014 as chief minister in the NC-Congress coalition government.

The Ganderbal electoral contest intensified with the entry of jailed cleric Sarjan Wagay, widely known as Sarjan Barkati, and Sheikh Ashiq, the candidate from Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party.

Meanwhile, the Budgam assembly segment, again a traditional National Conference bastion is set for a high-stakes contest. Though Omar Abdullah and seven other candidates are in the race, the focus remains on a direct battle between Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party candidate Agha Syed Muntazir, son of prominent Shia leader and former Hurriyat figure Agha Syed Hassan, in a challenge to NC's dominance.

Omar is backed by NC stalwart and three-time Budgam winner, Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a respected Shia leader and influential figure in the constituency. Mehdi, also a Member of Parliament has long played a pivotal role in shaping Budgam’s political landscape.

Agha Syed Muntazir has garnered significant backing, largely due to his father’s deep-rooted influence among Budgam's Shia community. With Agha Hassan’s strong voter base, Muntazir is poised to offer a tough challenge.

On July 27, 2020, Omar Abdullah had expressed his discontent with Jammu and Kashmir’s downgrade to a Union Territory after the revocation of Article 370.

He had announced that he would refrain from contesting assembly elections until the region's full statehood was reinstated. However, he revised his position after the Election Commission of India revealed the polling schedule for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on August 16.

However, he softened his stance after the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on August 16.