OMAR ABDULLAH

Constituency : Srinagar

Although the National Conference won only two seats against the five it garnered in 1999, the young Omar Abdullah has reason to celebrate. The president of the National Conference defeated his rival, Ghulam Nabi Lone of the Peoples Democratic Party, by nearly 20,000 votes.

"Today's results from Kashmir valley should silence the critics of the National Conference, who for the past 18 months had written off the party," Abdullah said after his victory. In 2002, the 34-year-old Abdullah, who was Minister of State for External Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government until his party withdrew from the ruling coalition, took over the the leadership of National Conference from father Farooq Abdullah.

Photographs: TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images