After the declaration of the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, political experts were giving sermons that Omar Abdullah was incapable of leading the National Conference as he himself lost elections from the north Kashmir's Baramulla Parliamentary segment. The political experts had reasons to question capability of Omar to lead Jammu and Kashmir's oldest political party in the coming Assembly elections because margin of his defeat was more than two lakhs. But within three months after getting a crushing defeat Omar Abdullah not only won elections from two Assembly segments but also steered his party National Conference to a historic victory in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah became the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The year 2024 was an eventful period in the political life of Omar Abdullah from a losser he emerged as victorious by heading the first popular government in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It was a year that started from the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections to the heights of victory in Assembly polls for the National Conference vice president, who had earlier announced not to contest Assembly polls unless restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. Political journey in 2024 started with a defeat Omar Abdullah witnessed ups and downs in the year 2024 as he started his political journey with a defeat in the Lok Sabha elections from north Kashmir's Baramulla Parliamentary constituency. In a political gamble, Omar Abdullah decided to contest the Lok Sabha election from north Kashmir's Baramulla seat but he was defeated by jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, who contested the election as an Independent candidate defeated Omar Abdullah by a margin of 2.04 lakh votes. Engineer Rashid secured 4,72,481 votes while Omar Abdullah managed to get 2, 68, 339 votes. Omar Abdullah himself admitted that defeat from the Baramulla seat was a setback for him and many questions were raised over his political career and his ability to lead his party in the upcoming Assembly elections in the Union Territory. Surprising comeback in three months Undeterred by defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Omar Abdullah took it a challenge to campaign for his party in the upcoming Assembly elections. With the announcement of Assembly elections on August 16, 2024, Omar Abdullah started an aggressive campaign for the National Conference. Although Omar Abdullah had earlier announced not to contest Assembly elections in the Union Territory, he decided to join the electoral battle to boost the morale of his party candidates and workers. The decision seemed risky to many, but it became a testimony to his political astuteness. Omar Abdullah launched the election campaign with new energy and focus. He promised stability, development, and effective representation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on local issues. The results of the Assembly elections were surprising and encouraging for Omar Abdullah contested two Assembly seats and won comfortably on both of the seats. Omar Abdullah won the Ganderbal Assembly segment by a margin of 10574 votes by defeating Peoples Democratic Party's candidate Bashir Ahmed Dar and the Budgam seat by defeating Peoples Democratic Party candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi by a margin of 18485 votes. Formation of the first popular government in Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah created history by winning Assembly elections for his party, the National Conference. Out of a total 90 Assembly seats, the National Conference emerged as a single largest party by winning 42 seats. With the support of six Independent MLA, Omar Abdullah managed to secure a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and became first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Omar Abdullah-led regime became the first popular government after the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory. Through his political ability and power to connect with the people, Omar Abdullah took his party back to power. Future challenges Although the year 2024 was a symbol of victory for Omar Abdullah, the challenges before him are not less. The new government faces many complex issues such as unemployment, development and restoring public faith in the democratic process. Apart from this, running a coalition government with independent MLAs also requires political acumen and consensus building. Nevertheless, 2024 will be considered a defining chapter in Omar Abdullah's political career, in which he silenced critics and scripted one of the most remarkable comeback stories in Indian politics. As Jammu and Kashmir looks to the future, Omar Abdullah's triumph and resurrection in 2024 will be remembered as an important chapter in the region's political history. "Reimagining Jammu and Kashmir" is a visual masterpiece of resilience and progress, a must read Light rain, snow likely in J&K during next 24 hours Reservation Row in J&K: Why is BJP, Congress Silent Amid Rising Demand for Rationalization
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Once a year, Buffalo Bills defensive back Cam Lewis gathers around a computer with his mom, Yvonne, and his brother, Brandon. The three get together to read personal essays by students at the high school Lewis attended. Lewis grew up around the 7 Mile Area of Detroit and went to Consortium College Prep, which is now called Voyageur College Prep. A couple of years ago, Lewis started a scholarship: the Cam Lewis Voyage to Success Scholarship. Bills cornerback Cam Lewis celebrates a play during a game in Seattle on Oct. 27. “I always wanted to give back in any certain way,” Lewis said. “I was able to get a scholarship coming out of high school, but not a lot of people are able to do that, so just any amount of money that I can give can help them in their college experience.” Every year, he awards $2,000 to five different graduating students, doling out $10,000 total per year. Applications revolve around five different criteria, including an essay that Lewis reads and judges himself, alongside Yvonne and Brandon. The prompt revolves around what students have overcome in their high school career. “It's cool,” Lewis said. “It's a glimpse into all these kids' lives. You never know what they're going through. Everybody goes through different things.” This weekend, Lewis will return to Detroit as the Bills head to a major tilt with the 12-1 Lions. It’s an exciting homecoming for Lewis. “It shaped me a lot of different ways, but I’m just glad I grew up in Detroit,” Lewis said. Lewis gets back to Detroit a few times a year. When he does, he always catches up with his high school football coach, John Pittman. Pittman is so proud of how far Lewis has gone in football, and how much he gives when he returns. “Cam, he’s just such a hard worker, and he gives so much back,” Pittman said. “When he comes and talks to a lot of the students, he definitely gives a lot to each program.” Lewis doesn’t just visit Voyageur since Pittman has switched schools a couple of times. Lewis always goes wherever Pittman goes. “Every program I’m a part of, he always comes back, talks to the players, telling them how you know you can make it no matter where you go,” Pittman said. After high school, Lewis went on to play at University at Buffalo. There, he caught the eyes of the Bills. Lewis joined the Bills in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, and he then worked his way up from the practice squad to cementing a Swiss-army-knife role for the Bills defense. “I never thought I'd be at this level playing for this long and stuff like that,” Lewis said. “So, anytime I can go back and see and then give some kids some knowledge and stuff like that, I always do that.” His advice takes on the flavor of the city that raised him. “Being from Detroit, you have a mentality that, I guess what we call it, like a hustler's mentality,” Yvonne said. “A hustler's mentality means you always have to go get it, just be a go-getter. So that's like a staple phrase, a hustler mentality for the city. And he's always had that. ... He’s a self motivator,” Yvonne Lewis had her sons play all sorts of sports growing up. Baseball was a favorite for Cam, and he got involved early. When Cam was 5, older brother Brandon had an 8U game, coached by their dad. “We were short a player, and we needed somebody to go in the game,” Yvonne said. “So, they stuck Cameron in here. He was five years old. I was like, ‘Okay, you really going to let him play?’” Yvonne says Cam only came up to about the shoulders of his teammates that game. He recalls his legs being so much shorter that teammates caught up on to him on the base path. But he didn’t let that stop him. When he got older, Lewis transferred to Voyageur, so he couldn’t play his first year there. He also had a mindset slightly surprising for a player who would go on to play in the NFL. “His sophomore year, when he came in, he told me, he was like, ‘I’m a baseball player,’ ” Pittman said. “I was like, ‘What?’ ” But with Pittman’s encouragement, Lewis began to put more work into football. “ ‘If you think I’m good, then OK, let’s just give it a shot,’ ” Pittman recalls Lewis saying. “ ‘Let’s work at it.’ And it just went from there.” Yvonne had seen how Cam’s determination played out in the past. “Once he put his mind to it, he really says he gets stuck on it,” she said. “It's like his tunnel vision at that point.” Lewis was evolving as the program did, too. “When Cameron got there, that was actually our second season, going into our third season,” Pittman said. “We were actually building the program. So, he actually built the foundation of the program to where it is now today.” The team didn’t have a practice field or even a home field. Lewis remembers it being challenging. He embraced that. “We always go by the saying, ‘Embrace every struggle and live the grind,’ ” Pittman said. “So, we knew it was gonna be a struggle, just having the kids having some way to practice, building a weight room, and just giving them just belief in themselves. Like, ‘Hey, if you guys believe in yourself, sky’s the limit.’ And then they just bought in. It was just brotherhood.” The brotherhood small. Pittman estimates there were around 24 players on the team. Lewis played all over the field except offensive line, Pittman said. “Relentless,” Pittman said. “He wanted to do it all. I mean, his senior year, we were struggling. We were questioning quarterbacks. He’s like, ‘Coach, give me the ball. I’m the quarterback.’ ” So, play quarterback he did. Lewis said he didn’t throw the ball a ton, but he was ready to step in. “We needed somebody on offense,” he said. “At the time, I was playing both ways, but the majority was just on offense. I was like I need somebody to hand me the ball, at least. I need to make some plays. But it was cool, though.” Bills cornerback Cam Lewis trips up 49ers tight end George Kittle during a game at Highmark Stadium on Dec. 1. Lewis’ ability to play anywhere on the field has served him well at football’s highest level. “He can do it all, especially in the secondary,” Pittman said. “He’s not scared to go up against bigger and taller. He’s always been pretty much a smaller guy on the field. But I mean, heart is like a lion.” Now, it’s helping the Bills. Lewis has played a career-high 49% of defensive snaps this season (403 snaps). His previous high was 22% in 2020. “Position flexibility,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said when asked what Lewis means to the team. “Just incredibly valuable for us: playing nickel, playing dime, playing special teams, playing safety. He’s just done a phenomenal job, and fun to watch him grow.” Lewis sees the uptick in both as a reflection of his determination to improve his game and his coaches’ trust in him. On Sunday at Ford Field, Lewis will have a chance to show his growth in front of a massive crowd of family and friends. “Fifty-five total,” Lewis said on expected attendance. “Yeah, it’s gonna be a lot.” Lewis said that number is about normal for when he plays in Detroit. He expects he’ll be a little emotional before the game. It's part of the journey. “I’m just happy to come from such a hustle city, grind city,” he said. “It did shape me to the guy I am today, molded me in the right direction to have my good mindset, my motivation of what I want to do. So yeah, I’m just glad to be from there.” The Bills’ secondary could be quite depleted Sunday. Cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) has been ruled out of Sunday’s game. Douglas injured his knee against the Rams, and he did not practice all week. McDermott said ahead of practice that he was not yet ready to name who would start in Douglas’ place. The following Bills players are questionable: tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee), safety Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder), safety Damar Hamlin (back/ribs), defensive end Casey Toohill (ribs), tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder/groin), offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin), defensive end Dawuane Smoot (wrist) and linebacker Baylon Spector (calf). Rapp, Hamlin and Toohill were in red noncontact jerseys during the portion of practice open to media. Those three players were limited Friday. Sent weekly directly to your inbox!
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Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will contest the Dec 21 civic polls on party symbol, ‘scales’, and working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder on Monday appointed party leaders as observers for the elections to five municipal corporations. SAD senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema said, Harish Rai Dhanda had been appointed party observer for Jalandhar; Bikram Singh Majitha & Gulzar Singh Ranike for Amritsar; Baldev Singh Khaira for Phagwara; Mantar Singh Brar & S R Kler for Ludhiana; and NK Sharma & Gurpreet Singh Raju Khanna for Patiala municipal corporation elections. TNN We also published the following articles recently Sikh community the real force behind Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badals submission, Takhts assertion Sukhbir Badal's admission of wrongdoing at the Akal Takht marks a significant victory for the Sikh community. Years of public pressure, fueled by electoral losses, the 2015 sacrilege incidents, and social media activism, finally forced the Akali Dal leader and the Sikh clergy to address long-standing grievances. Man opens fire at SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at Golden Temple in Amritsar A man fired shots at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal while he was performing seva at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Badal, who has a fractured leg, was unharmed. Police quickly apprehended the shooter, identified as Narayan Singh Chaura, but the motive remains unclear. Watch: Shiromani Akali Dal leaders clean toilets at Golden Temple as part of Akal Takht's religious punishment Several Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including Sukhbir Singh Badal, performed symbolic penance at the Golden Temple. They cleaned toilets, washed utensils, and served as volunteers, following a religious edict from the Akal Takht. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .26 Y.O. Luigi Mangione Arrested In Connection To CEO Shooting: ‘Strong Person Of Interest’