Srinagar: Supporters of the National Conference and Congress clashed Thursday in north Kashmir Ganderbal during Omar Abdullah's road show there.

“National Conference president Omar Abdullah was on way to Wakura village in Ganderbal when a group of Congress supporters tried to interrupt his road show at Barsoo," a police officer told IANS. Barsoo village is nearly 30 km from here.

“Security men deployed to protect the National Conference road show fired tear smoke shells to disperse the clashing supporters of the two parties," the police officer said.

Abdullah was also to address a party meeting at Wakura.

The road show and the public meeting were National Conference's first shows of strength in the Ganderbal constituency from where Abdullah is contesting elections against Qazi Muhammad Afzal of the Peoples Democratic Party and Sheikh Muhammad Ashfaq of the Congress.

There are nine more candidates in the fray from the north Kashmir prestigious constituency - once considered to be the Abdullah family's bastion.

Abdullah lost the 2002 election from the constituency from where his father Farooq and grand-father Sheikh Abdullah had won previously - many times unopposed.

 

Source : ians