Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah confronts the most difficult challenge in his electoral career.
In June, Omar lost the Lok Sabha election in Baramulla to Engineer Rashid, an accused in a terror funding case and who was incarcerated in Tihar jail.
Some Kashmiris believe the winds of change have arrived in the Valley and Omar will become obsolete politically post October 8 after the results of the assembly election.
Omar is a candidate in two assembly seats, Ganderbal and Budgam.His decision to contest from Budgam came after the central government allowed jailed cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagar aka Sarjan Barkati, popularly known as Azadi Chacha, to contest against Abdullah in Ganderbal.
"It is not a coincidence that 49 to 50 percent of candidates contesting the elections are Independent candidates. These 49 to 50 percent of candidates are on this side of the mountain (Kashmir) and not in Jammu. This is being done by design and we need to caution the voters of Kashmir about it," Omar Abdullah tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com after a day of hectic campaigning in Budgam.