Ganderbal: Putting behind his bitter defeat in 2002 polls, NC chief Omar Abdullah today finally reclaimed his party's traditional stronghold of Ganderbal here defeating PDP rival Qazi Mohammed Afzal to whom he had lost in his first electoral battle at the state level.
"I am elated and thankful to people of my Ganderbal constituency who have given me a chance to serve them, which I will be doing in the right earnest," the 38-year-old scion of Abdullah family said after his win by a substantial margin.
Omar, who began his political journey in the state from this Assembly seat in 2002 elections, had been advised by some of his party men to choose another constituency in the backdrop of his previous poll debacle. National Conference had emerged as the largest party in the last polls with 28 seats in the 87-member House but chose to sit in opposition.
"But I wanted to begin from the same seat where I had tasted defeat, the first one, of course.... I knew the vote against me in 2002 was the anger of people and all I wanted to convince them was to give me a chance.
"The chance has been given and now it is my turn now to give them the best of the facilities," said Omar flanked by hundreds of well-wishers.
Omar, along with his wife and two children, came here to thank voters for supporting him.
Ganderbal constituency has been the pocket-borough of the Abdullah family. Before Omar, his father Dr Farooq Abdullah represented the seat from 1983 to 1996. Omar's grandfather Sheikh Abdullah was also elected from the constituency.
