Dr. Farooq Abdullah, born on October 21, 1937, is an Indian politician who currently serves as the President of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has held the position of Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir multiple times since 1982 and was the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy from 2009 to 2014. He is the son of Sheikh Abdullah, the first elected Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and the father of Omar Abdullah, a former Chief Minister of the region.
Politics:
Earlier:
Abdullah was elected unopposed to the Lok Sabha from the Srinagar constituency in the 1980 General Election.
CM of J&K (1982-1984)
In August 1981, Abdullah, relatively new to the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, was appointed president of the National Conference, largely due to his status as Sheikh Abdullah’s son. Following his father’s death in 1982, Farooq Abdullah acquired the role of Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. However, in 1984, his government was undermined when a faction of the National Conference, led by his brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammad Shah, split away. This led to the collapse of Abdullah’s administration and his subsequent dismissal. Shah then acquired the position of Chief Minister with Congress support.
After:
In 1986, G.M. Shah’s government was dismissed following the communal riots in South Kashmir. A new National Conference–Congress coalition government was established with Farooq Abdullah reinstated as Chief Minister, following the Rajiv-Farooq Accord.
In the 1987 elections, the National Conference–Congress alliance emerged victorious amid allegations of electoral fraud and widespread rigging. This period marked a rise in militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, with the return of trained militants and incidents such as the kidnapping of Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed‘s daughter. The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley also occurred during this time. Farooq Abdullah resigned in protest when Jagmohan was appointed as governor, leading to the dissolution of the state assembly. Following these events, Abdullah moved to the United Kingdom.
CM of J&K (1996-2002)
Upon returning to India, Abdullah won the Legislative Assembly elections in 1996 and was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the fifth time. His government served a full six-year term. In 1999, the National Conference aligned with the National Democratic Alliance led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and his son, Omar Abdullah, was appointed as a Union Minister of State for External Affairs.
Later:
In the 2002 Legislative Assembly elections, Omar Abdullah led the National Conference, while Farooq Abdullah aimed to shift his focus to national politics. The National Conference lost, and a coalition government led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took office. Although Atal Bihari Vajpayee promised Farooq Abdullah the vice presidency, he later withdrew the offer due to Abdul Kalam’s presidential nomination and Krishan Kant’s objections.
Farooq Abdullah was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 and re-elected in 2009. He resigned from the Rajya Sabha in May 2009 to contest and win a Lok Sabha seat from Srinagar, joining the United Progressive Alliance government as Minister of New and Renewable Energy.
Abdullah lost the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat to Tariq Hameed Karra in the 2014 General Election but reclaimed it in a 2017 by-election, defeating PDP candidate Nazir Ahmed Khan.
On September 16, 2019, Abdullah became the first mainstream politician detained under the Public Safety Act, following the revocation of Article 370. He was released from detention on March 13, 2020.
In 2022, Abdullah was suggested as the Opposition’s presidential candidate by Mamata Banerjee and other leaders but declined, opting to remain focused on active politics and the Kashmir issue.
Earlier Life:
Farooq Abdullah was born to Sheikh Abdullah, a prominent statesman and National Conference leader, and Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah. He attended Tyndale Biscoe School and earned his MBBS degree from SMS Medical College in Jaipur. He later went to the UK to practice medicine.
