Didn't end well for me last time: Omar Abdullah's 7K run on J&K counting day

Omar Abdullah started the election results day with a 7-kilometre as he reflected on his past experiences and expressed cautious optimism as early trends showed him leading in key seats.

In Short

• Omar Abdullah starts vote counting day for J&K elections with a 7K run
• He shares selfies and reflects on past elections with humour
• He is currently leading in Budgam and Ganderbal as per early trends

As the counting of votes began for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election on Tuesday, National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah started his day with a 7-kilometre run through the scenic streets of Srinagar.

Sharing his post-run selfies in a post on X, Abdullah, 54, also reflected on his past election experiences.

Notably, Abdullah had contested the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year but lost to then-jailed Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) candidate Engineer Rashid in the Baramulla constituency, despite leading in the early trends.

The NC vice president, who is currently leading in both Budgam and Ganderbal seats as per early trends, appeared cautiously optimistic this time around.

“Counting day 7K done. Last time around it didn’t end well for me personally. InshaAllah this time around it will be better,” he tweeted.

Take a look at his post here:

Before the vote count began, Abdullah had extended his best wishes to party colleagues and allies as he expressed hope for their success in what has been a closely watched election.

As of now, the NC-Congress alliance is leading with 52 seats, while the BJP holds 27. The PDP has been reduced to just two, according to Election Commission trends, while independent candidates and smaller parties are making headway in eight seats.