The National Conference (NC) set the poll campaign rolling on Wednesday. It organized a rally at the sports stadium where around 3,000 people, mostly delegates, gathered to listen to Omar Abdullah who kicked off his party’s campaign.

“We realise that this time campaigning will not be easy. We have to tread a difficult path and we are ready for it. We deliberately chose the workers’ convention to kick-off our campaign. From tomorrow, we will have a full-fledged campaign in villages and other areas,” said the NC president. 

In an attempt to remain in the good books of the separatists who still have a substantial constituency in Kashmir Omar said, “The elections have nothing to do with the Kashmir issue. Polls are just an exercise to solve the people’s day-to-day problems. We can’t wait for a solution to the Kashmir issue to solve the water, employment and other problems solved.”

In his speech, Omar Abdullah also questioned the credibility of his main rivals, the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“We are essentially fighting this election as an opposition party. The last parties in the government were the Congress and the PDP. Therefore, they”ll have to be made to explain an account of their track record of the last six years,” Abdullah told a rally in Budgam.