“Today, I will say one thing—my turban, my honour and this cap are in your hands,” Omar said in Kashmiri on 4 September, right after filing his nomination from Ganderbal constituency.
The two speeches—the fiery 2008 address, where he lashed out at the BJP, captivating the entire Lok Sabha, and the emotional speech made in Ganderbal to reach out to the voters ahead of the crucial 2024 J&K elections—highlight different facets of Omar’s personality.
The video of his appeal to Ganderbal voters went viral, with many saying they were seeing a “different” Omar who had become more “composed” and “mature” over time.
Many said his defeat in Baramulla against Engineer Rashid in the Lok Sabha election in June had left him humbled.
On Friday, a day after he was elected leader of the NC legislative party, Omar staked a claim to form the next government with the support of the six Congress MLAs, four Independents and the sole CPI(M) and AAP legislators.
The qualities of a mature politician, political analysts say, has already come to the fore in the conciliatory approach Omar has adopted in dealing with the Centre and the Raj Bhavan. Speaking to the reporters in Srinagar, Omar maintained that there are far too many problems that Jammu and Kashmir has, and the region cannot have an antagonistic relationship with the Central government. He said the J&K govt will have to find a way of working together.
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior NC leader said, “You see a lot of difference in his body language. When he joined in 2009 people were full of hope that a young, dynamic leader was taking up the charge of the state, but the series of protests and disturbances affected all that he had planned,” said the leader.
“He always appeared as the poster boy of Vajpayee government, young, suave, sophisticated. From someone who spoke essentially in English, we see him speaking more in Urdu and even Kashmiri now. Overall, he seems more connected to the masses. They also see him as more earnest as his stance hasn’t changed post (the abrogation of Article 370) 2019,” he added.
As vote counting proceeded Tuesday, it became clear early on that Omar was on track for a comeback.
After the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance in Jammu and Kashmir crossed the majority mark, NC president Farooq Abdullah announced to loud cheers from the hundreds of supporters gathered to celebrate that his son, Omar, would become the chief minister.
Omar was unanimously elected as the head of the National Conference’s legislative party Thursday.
“Jammu and Kashmir belongs to the Abdullahs. This election has reaffirmed that once again,” Maqbool, a supporter, who had gathered with others at Gupkar Road, the residence of Farooq Abdullah Tuesday, told ThePrint.
When Omar entered his father’s residence that day, he was greeted with shouts of “Dekho dekho kaun aaya, sher aaya, sher aaya (look who has arrived. It’s the lion).
Also read: No bitterness towards PM Modi, says Omar Abdullah; welcomes Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit
Early years in politics
The scenes are reminiscent of a time when a younger Omar was seen by people, especially the youth, as someone who would take Kashmir to great heights after years of militancy in the erstwhile state. At 41, Omar became the youngest CM of the state in 2009, and his journey since then has been a roller coaster ride.
Taking over as CM after protests forced his predecessor Ghulam Nabi Azad to resign, Omar initially faced a tumultuous period. The National Conference-Congress coalition government, headed by Omar, was marred by the 2009 and 2010 protests and curfews. But, after that, the Kashmir valley rewarded him with two peaceful years, which witnessed record tourist arrivals.
Soon after taking on the reins of power in 2009, the then CM was encountered with one of the first challenges after bodies of two young women were found in a stream in Shopian and security forces were accused of raping and killing the women. While Omar initially denied women were raped, he did order a judicial probe into the matter and later an FIR was filed.
“His handling of the case at that time had received a lot of criticism and it led to disturbance in the Valley for quite some time with many getting injured during protests between police and the people. Police had later said, that as per forensic tests, rape had taken place…,” explained a Srinagar-based political analyst.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration in June last year terminated the services of two doctors for allegedly “actively working” with Pakistan-based groups and fabricating evidence in the 2009 case.
The incident had led to several protests in Kashmir.
The probe in the case was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2009 which said that the two women were never raped or murdered. The incident had led to several protests in Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration in June last year terminated the services of two doctors for allegedly “actively working” with Pakistan-based groups and fabricating evidence in the 2009 case.
“Between 2012 and 2014, the atmosphere was fairly peaceful for Kashmir though in between Omar had to face yet another challenge when Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar. It was some of the most challenging days for him, and for 10 days curfew was imposed, but Omar managed to keep things in control,” said Ahmed Ali Fayyaz, a political commentator and senior journalist.
Highlighting how Omar follows a ‘no-nonsense approach in dealing with issues, a senior party leader recounted the communal clashes that broke out in 2013 in Kishtwar’s Hindu-dominated Kuleed Chowk area (located 238 km north of Jammu).
“Curfew was immediately imposed and when senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley tried to visit the town, which many felt could have aggravated the situation, Omar ensured he was not allowed to leave the airport. In fact, his government ensured that the town was made out of bounds for politicians at that time and it helped,” he added.
Even as Omar tried to delicately handle the region, the 2014 floods changed everything, recalls a party functionary. The anger of the people was visible on their faces, as the government led by Omar struggled to provide relief to the people.
However, many still remember his tenure for the national highways and overall infrastructure. During his tenure, work on the widening of the 300-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to four lanes and the railway link between the two cities was announced.
“Apart from this, his tenure saw work on Jammu and Srinagar ring roads which is crucial for overall connectivity. While work started during his period, when the BJP came, it got expedited,” added Fayyaz.
After serving as the CM between 2009 and 2014, Omar took on another important role, that of the Opposition leader in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly from 2015 to 2018.
Omar—the grandson of J&K’s former prime minister Sheikh Abdullah, who founded Kashmir’s first political party, NC—was first elected to the Lok Sabha from the Srinagar constituency in 1998. He also served as the Union minister of state for commerce and industry from 2000 to 2002.
How J&K, Omar have changed since 2019
With the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August, 2019, the central government stripped J&K of its special status and reduced the erstwhile state to a Union territory. Since 2019, Omar also has undergone a lot of change, party workers and supporters say.
A senior NC leader ThePrint spoke to said that Omar became a symbol of resistance against the Modi-led central government at a time when many chose to stay silent.
“His persistence was visible when he attacked PM Modi on the issue of stripping Kashmir of its special status. His statement, that he would not contest polls till statehood is restored, was not said in a spur of the moment, it displayed his anger at the situation,” he said.
In the Valley, the leader added, Omar standing up to Modi and refusing to back down resonated deeply with the public.
“This is also one of the reasons that the people decided to reward him with a decisive victory and not splitting the vote by voting for the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party),” said another party functionary.
Speaking to ThePrint, NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, Omar speaks “fearlessly and boldly, a trait missing in politicians these days”.
“One thing you should know about Omar sahab is that he is very upfront. He’s a no-nonsense person. He speaks to the point,” said Dar, adding that Omar is popular because of this approach.
“He is extremely articulate not only about Kashmir’s issues, but overall. The way he brought the pain of Kashmir to life after Article 370’s abrogation in 2019…. He has turned into a very seasoned politician,” Dar said. “He is vocal about the treatment of Muslims in the country…. I am a witness, and Muslims of the country are looking up to him. He is seen as a representative of all Muslims now.”
As Omar looks to take on the reins of Jammu and Kashmir once again, he also has to prepare for a changed scenario. “He was a CM of a very empowered state, and this is going to be the weakest assembly in the state in J&K’s history,” said Dar.
Dar, however, said, “He (Omar) has faced challenges, and he has come out of them with flying colours. He is very upright and speaks whenever there is injustice. He is one politician in the country who has had no qualms in speaking his heart out against the policies of the BJP government in Kashmir and the country.”
Another significant development back in 2019 was Omar’s detention. Omar was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) during the 2019 Kashmir lockdown that followed the abrogation of Article 370. His comment that “the decision to revoke Article 370 is a betrayal of trust” came under fire from his opponents.
A senior NC leader, who has watched Omar at close quarters, said, “When he was put in detention, many felt it would break him…. But when he came out, the first thing that I saw in him was that he was not deterred. The detention had only made him more resolute.”
These changes, in Omar and J&K, have shaped the NC election campaign this year.
Omar and his party have been advocating the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and statehood in their campaign.
‘Catches up on latest Netflix series, news’
Describing Omar Abdullah as a “very relaxed” person, a party leader mentioned that he is a fan of technology and also always stays up to date with the latest series on Netflix.
“I don’t know how he manages to take time out for it, but he knows the latest shows aired on Netflix. He often discusses a series he has watched with us,” said a party worker.
Called an “avid reader” by many, Omar also makes it a point to read news reports and articles early in the morning, discussing them with party workers later. “He always sets the (political) agenda for us in the morning,” said an NC leader.
Decision to contest polls
Describing Omar’s relationship with his father, a party functionary said while “Farooq sahab gives Omar enough space”, the latter has never questioned his father’s decisions. Many also pointed out that Farooq persuaded Omar to contest the assembly elections after he expressed his intention to sit them out till the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
Omar maintained till early August that he would not contest the assembly election but announced by the end of the month that he would contest on two seats—Budgam and Ganderbal—bastions of the Abdullahs and NC.
The NC has won the Budgam assembly constituency eight out of nine times. The only time it did not win was in 1972 when it did not contest. Omar’s decision to contest from Ganderbal marks his return to the constituency he represented between 2008 and 2014 as the CM of the erstwhile state.
Three generations of the Abdullah family—NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah, and Omar Abdullah—have historically represented Ganderbal. However, in 2002, Omar lost the seat to the PDP in his first election.
He reclaimed Ganderbal in 2008 but shifted to the Beerwah assembly seat in 2014. Despite facing challenges in both constituencies, Omar has secured decisive victories in each.
Talking to reporters Tuesday, Omar said the party didn’t expect such a huge win, but would endeavour to meet people’s expectations over the next five years. “We will build relations with the Centre so that we can solve the problems of J&K.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: NC-Congress bag power in J&K where Article 370 abrogation & roads, jobs took centrestage