Former CMs Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti trailing in early vote count

SRINAGAR — Two former chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir — Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — are trailing in their constituencies in the first hour of counting on Tuesday, according to the Election Commission.

Abdullah contested the polls from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, while Mehbooba from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

Abdullah, the vice president of the National Conference (NC), is trailing by over 2,600 votes in the first hour of counting against his nearest rival and independent candidate Sheikh Abdul Rashid.

The NC leader is locked in a virtual triangular contest for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat with separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajjad Gani Lone and Rashid alias Engineer Rashid, a former MLA currently lodged in Tihar jail in a UAPA case.

Mehbooba, the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who is up against prominent Gujjar and NC leader Mian Altaf Ahmad in Anantnag-Rajouri seat, is trailing by over 26,000 votes.

On the third seat in the Kashmir valley — the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency — NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi is leading over his nearest rival, PDP’s Waheed Para — by over 3,300 votes.