Srinagar, May 20: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed hope that people of Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency will come out and exercise their franchise.

“I hope that people will use their votes,” Omar told media persons in Baramulla on Monday.

Omar Abdullah is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Baramulla seat and is pitted against 22 candidates, prominent among those are Peoples Conference Candidate Sajad Lone, Peoples Democratic Party candidate Fayaz Mir and jailed Abdul Rashid Sheikh aka Engineer Rashid.

The NC vice president said the biggest power in a democracy is the people’s voice, people’s votes. “I appeal to the people of Baramulla to come out and cast their votes in a big way”, Omar added.

Replying to a question regarding the twin militant attack in South Kashmir in which a BJP worker was killed and a couple from Rajasthan were injured, Omar said “I have always been saying that making claims like a huge number of tourists are coming and there is normalcy is not good”.

He said: “The truth is that militants have proved that whenever they want they can strike”.

Unfortunately, a political worker lost his life and two tourists who had come from outside suffered injuries.

“We have often said that please don’t link tourism with the situation. By such a way we are putting the lives of tourists in danger,” the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said.

In reply to another question about the Centre’s claim that after abrogating the article 370, peace has prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said: “Centre made so many claims. If any of their claims would have been true then the candidates from the BJP would have been in the election fray.”

They (central government) would never have required seeking help from their B and C team to defeat the National Conference, he added.

“It is evident that no candidate of BJP is in the fray and their claims are neither right nor true,” Omar said.

UNI