How Omar Abdullah broke his morning run jinx: Told myself I will never run if…

The National Conference secured a decisive victory in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, surpassing the expectations of even Omar Abdullah. Coming on the back of Lok Sabha defeat, Omar had his own doubts for the Assembly polls. He kicked off the counting day today with a morning run, and broke what he humorously called a “jinx” by winning the Assembly election, despite prior superstitions about his running routine.
In a light-hearted moment during an interview with India Today TV, Omar shared how his morning run almost didn’t happen on the poll result day.
“Last time I ran on counting day, I lost. I was actually in two minds whether I should do it again. I told myself, if I go for a run today and I lose, I will never run again in my life; but if I don’t run, I need to put this jinx away. So I went for a run and I still won, so now I will just keep running when I have to,” Omar Abdullah said.
The National Conference, led by Omar’s father, Farooq Abdullah, won 42 of the 90 seats, cementing its place as the dominant force in the region. Congress, an ally of the party, added six seats, while the BJP managed 29 and Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP garnered only three.
Omar Abdullah admitted that the scale of his party’s success took him by surprise. “I didn’t expect us to come back with this many seats,” he said. “It’s a humbling verdict that reminds us of how much work we still have to do in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Reflecting on the division of votes between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu, Omar emphasised the need for unity. “The incoming government will have to ensure that it is a government for all – for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, not just the alliance that won.”
He also expressed hope for the restoration of statehood. Omar Abdullah said, “We have had delimitation, elections, and now statehood must follow. We expect the incoming government to remind the Centre of this commitment.”
Omar further reflected on his Lok Sabha loss to Engineer Rashid.
“Obviously, it wasn’t easy, it was difficult. I had people around me who cared about me, who rallied around me, who lifted my spirits. There was a lot of self-doubt, there was a lot of turmoil… but I got back up, and moved forward, and thankfully, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given us a mandate. Now it is our responsibility to respect that mandate and live up to it,” Omar said.
As the National Conference prepares to form the next government, Omar Abdullah remains focused on building a productive relationship with the Centre. “Jammu and Kashmir has unique challenges, and we don’t need an antagonistic relationship with the Union government,” Omar Abdullah said.