SRINAGAR: Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who was a Lok Sabha candidate for Anantnag-Rajouri, hinted at her defeat amidst the ongoing vote counting. She as well as her predecessor Omar Abdullah are expected to lose their election.
“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 & wont deter us from our path. Congratulations to Mian sahab for his victory,” Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on ‘X’.
Mufti, the president of the Peoples Democratic Party, is trailing behind Mian Altaf Ahmad of the National Conference by 2,01,408 votes.
The boundaries of the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency were redrawn in 2022 after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories
PTI adds:
National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti conceded defeat on Tuesday from their respective Lok Sabha seats even as the counting of votes was still underway.
According to the EC data for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, jailed former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid was leading against former chief minister Abdullah by a margin of more than 1.25 lakh votes.
“I think it’s time to accept the inevitable. Congratulations to Engineer Rashid for his victory in North Kashmir,” Abdullah said in a post on X at 1.37 pm.
He said the voters have spoken and in a democracy that is all that matters.
“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 said.
Former chief minister Mufti also conceded defeat from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.
“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 & wont deter us from our path,” Mufti posted on X at 1.58 pm.
National Conference Gujjar leader Mian Altaf is leading from the seat by over 2.29 lakh votes, according to the latest EC figures.
Abdullah also congratulated his party colleagues Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and Mian Altaf who are leading by huge margins from Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seats respectively.
“To my @JKNC_ colleagues @RuhullahMehdi & Mian Altaf Sb my heartfelt congratulations. I’m sorry I won’t be joining them in the Lok Sabha but I’m sure both of them will do an amazing job representing the people of J&K,” Abdullah said in his post.
