New Delhi wants to silence me by fielding candidates from jails: Omar

Srinagar, Sep 6: The Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Omar Abdullah Friday accused the ruling dispensation in New Delhi of deliberately undermining his political candidacy by strategically pitting jailed separatist candidates against him.
This he said while speaking at a workers’ gathering in the Ganderbal constituency. Omar was accompanied by MP Mian Altaf Ahmad, Treasurer Shammi Oberoi. Also present at the event were Ghulam Nabi Rather, Sheikh Gayas ud din, and Mushtaq Mir.
During his address at several election rallies in Ganderbal, Omar reflected on his previous electoral defeat in Baramulla, where he lost to Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who campaigned from jail using an emotional audio clip. “I always had a suspicion that Delhi would try to silence me, but I never imagined they would go to such lengths,” he stated.
Omar expressed surprise at the candidacy of Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, also known as Barkati, who is currently in jail but still filed nomination papers from Ganderbal. “When I decided to contest from Ganderbal, there were rumors that this individual would stand against me. This made me question whether it was a mere coincidence or part of a larger conspiracy,” he said.
He went on to say that while he could understand a local candidate challenging him in Baramulla, the fact that a candidate from Shopian was involved raised suspicions. “They couldn’t find a local jailed candidate, so they brought one from another district,” Abdullah remarked. He emphasized that there is a deliberate effort to disrupt his campaign and stifle his voice.
The NC VP revealed that his team had secretly collected and filed nomination papers from various constituencies on the last day to avoid interference. “Yesterday’s events confirmed my suspicion. It became clear that it was no coincidence when this man in jail filed his nomination in Ganderbal and then also took the nomination papers from Beerwah, thinking I would contest from there because I had done so earlier. But when we filed from Budgam, they were surprised.”
“These tactics reflect the BJP’s larger agenda to suppress my voice from Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah said, adding, “This is not just an attack on me; it is an attempt to silence the voices of the people I represent. When I speak for my rights and dignity, it’s for my people, not just for myself.”
During his campaign trail, Omar joined his associates to offer Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid Lar.