Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi is a Srinagar MP and a veteran National Conference leader. He has been actively campaigning for his party in these Assembly polls, particularly for former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Abdullah contested from two seats, Ganderbal and Budgam, in this election. This is the first Assembly election in J&K after a decade and the first under Union Territory (UT) status. Polling for 50 seats has already been held in J&K in two phases, while polls for 40 seats will be held in the third phase on Tuesday. While talking to Outlook, Mehdi discussed a range of issues, including Hezbollah leader Syed Hasan Nasrullah's killing, the situation post-5 August 2019, concerns in J&K about land rights and jobs, government formation under UT status, and his stance on other issues.