Ahead of polls, NC badly misses Farooq’s oratory

Senior Abdullah undergoing a kidney transplant in London

With the first round of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir just days away, the ruling National Conference seems to be on a sticky wicket.

Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister , stands alone as his father and the party’s patriarch, Farooq Abdullah, is absent from Kashmir’s political theatre owing to ill-health.

With Mr. Farooq Abdullah undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment in London, the bridge between the party and its workers appears to be weak.

“I wish I could call him [Farooq Abdullah] right now and put my phone on microphone and make the people listen to his voice. But he is undergoing dialysis and I miss him very much,” Mr. Omar Abdullah said in Beerwah on Thursday. The Chief Minister will be the first from the Abdullah family to contest from this constituency.

The senior Abdullah will soon get a kidney transplant, donated by his wife.

“We don’t have our star campaigner, of course the party isn’t the same without him. Farooq Sahib’s way of addressing the people was unique. No can imitate his oratory or come close to him. His presence is deeply missed,” said Mustafa Kamal, the senior Abdullah’s younger brother and a sitting MLA.

Mr. Farooq Abdullah is known for his flamboyant style and immediately connects with voters. Many still remember his motorbike ride with actress Shabana Azmi and as one who began an impromptu jig and sang at political rallies.