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Farooq Abdullah: The perceptive politician resurrects!

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday won the by-poll to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, defeating People's Democratic Party’s (PDP) Nazim…

Farooq Abdullah: The perceptive politician resurrects!

Farooq Abdullah

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday won the by-poll to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, defeating People's Democratic Party’s (PDP) Nazim Ahmad Khan by over 10,000 votes.

The by-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was held on April 9. Here is the timeline of the astute leader's political career:

1980: Abdullah joins politics. He was elected to the Lok Sabha unopposed from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in the general election.

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1981: A year later, he was appointed as the President of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference party.

1982: He was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly and appointed as the Minister of Health. A day after he became the health minister, Abdullah became the anointed heir to the Chief Ministerial throne after the death of his father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, who was then serving as the state CM.

1983: Abdullah became the chief minister and was appointed as the member of J-K Legislative Assembly.

1983-87: He served as the chief minister with interruptions by the President’s rule imposed in the state due to the state’s political instability.

1987-90: He was sworn in as the J-K Chief Minister for the fourth time.

1996: He was elected as the chief minister for the fifth time.

2002: In 2002, Abdullah was elected as the member of Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir for a term of six years. The same year, his son Omar Abdullah was picked for leading the National Conference party. The party suffered a loss in the polls by an INC-PDP alliance led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

2009: Abullah then continued to focus more on his political career in the Centre. He was re-elected to Rajya Sabha in 2009, however, he resigned in May after he won the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. Abdullah, then, joined the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) as the cabinet minister of New and Renewable Energy.

2014: His only electoral defeat came in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in the hands of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Tariq Hameed Karra.

2017: He won the by-poll to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency defeating PDP’s Nazim Ahmad Khan.

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