Thank you for keeping flame of democracy alive: Omar Abdullah to voters

Srinagar: A day after losing the Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to voters for keeping the flame of democracy alive.

Abdullah was defeated by jailed former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid by a margin of 2,04,142 votes.

People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone was also in the fray.

Rashid is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

"In all the noise & the deep personal disappointment yesterday (and a bit of quiet satisfaction looking at the national results & @JKNC_ victories elsewhere) I overlooked thanking the voters of North Kashmir, especially the ones who voted for me, for coming out & using your vote to make your voices heard. Thank you for making the effort to come to the polling booths & keeping the flame of democracy alive," Abdullah said in a post on X.

In all the noise & the deep personal disappointment yesterday (and a bit of quiet satisfaction looking at the national results & @JKNC_ victories elsewhere) I overlooked thanking the voters of North Kashmir, especially the ones who voted for me, for coming out & using your vote…

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 5, 2024

The NC won two seats in Kashmir -- Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri -- by huge margins.