Family, friends become liability for Abdullah in LS polls

ess Trust Of India / Sri Nagar May 4, 2009, 14:17 IST

More than indecision, it's Farooq Abdullah's estranged family and friends that could make his run for Lok Sabha difficult.     

The 72-year-old National Conference chief, known for his fondness for the big life and golfing in London, has been on election mode almost for six months now.

He contested the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls in December last year and then resigned to run for Rajya Sabha. He has since decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Srinagar.    

Abdullah was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1980 and that too unopposed. Much water has flown down River Jhelum since and this time he is up against his estranged sister Khalida, whose husband G M Shah had installed himself chief minister after ousting Abdullah in a midnight coup, and one-time friend Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari.     

The National Conference (NC) is very sure about its victory from Srinagar with Abdullah in the fray, although political observers admit that Ansari is capable of producing an upset. Ansari, 69, had given a stiff competition to Abdullah's mother, Akbar Jehan in 1977.  

 Khalida, 73, had proposed to fight Abdullah in last year's assembly polls but had withdrawn her candidature. This is Khalida's maiden election. Abdullah did not wish to comment on his elder sister jumping into the fray against him saying it is democracy, everyone has the right to fight elections.