Omar Abdullah wants another victory parade for Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister pledged his personal ballot to singer Qazi Touqeer in the ongoing season of Bigg Boss 20. Abdullah admitted he rarely tunes into the reality franchise. But he knows the voice, remembers the concerts, and keeps tabs on the tabloid turbulence spilling out of the television set. When Mishra flagged that Touqeer stood a legitimate chance at walking away with the winner's trophy, Abdullah drew a straight line to the region's recent sporting triumphs.
"First we won the Ranji Trophy; now if we win Bigg Boss, then it's a good thing," Abdullah said. He acknowledged hearing that host Salman Khan reprimanded the singer over personal remarks made inside the house, before asking whether audience ballots decide the outcome. "Is this through public voting? Then I should vote for him. He sings very well. I remember he won Fame Gurukul suddenly, and nobody expected it."
The endorsement lands at a surreal career crossroads for Touqeer. The Kashmiri singer shot to national prominence in 2005 when he and Ruprekha Banerjee won the inaugural season of the talent hunt Fame Gurukul—a high-voltage contest where modern playback titan Arijit Singh settled for sixth place. Then came a 21-year broadcast drought. Touqeer's entrance into the Bigg Boss house on September 6 dusted off that dormant celebrity, thrusting him straight into prime-time squabbles, screaming matches, and weekend scrutinies.
Yet survival inside the compound remains ruthless. Following actor Aasif Khan's exit during the latest Weekend Ka Vaar eviction round, Touqeer must outlast a volatile roster that includes Aamrapali Dubey, Arishfa Khan, Kanika Mann, Kushal Tanwar, Mahhi Vij, Tanmay Singh, Uditi Singh, Harsh Vijay Machare, Love Gill, and Manish Goel. The season streams on JioHotstar and airs nightly on Colors TV, where Abdullah's promised vote will soon be put to the test.