Congress names six more candidates for J&K polls, BJP releases fourth list

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday released its second list of six candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, fielding JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra from Central Shalteng.

The list was released soon after Congress’ Central Election Committee (CEC) met in New Delhi to finalise names of candidates for the elections, which the party is contesting in alliance with the National Conference.

Apart from J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Karra, the party has fielded Mumtaz Khan from Reasi, Bhupender Jamwal from Mata Vaishno Devi, Iftikhar Ahmed from Rajouri (ST), Shabbir Ahmed Khan from Thannamandi (ST) and Mohammad Shahnawaz Choudhary from Surankote (ST).

These constituencies will go to polls in the second phase of the three-phase Assembly elections.

The total number of candidates declared by the party is now 15.

The National Conference and the Congress have finalised the seat-sharing formula and will contest 51 and 32 seats, respectively. There will be a friendly contest on a few seats.

Six seats of the second phase and 23 seats out of 40 of the third phase were discussed at the CEC meeting, Karra said.

Last week, the Congress had issued its first list of nine candidates for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, fielding party general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Dooru and former JKPCC chief Vikar Rasool Wani from Banihal.

The party also fielded Surinder Singh Channi from the Tral seat, Amanullah Mantoo from Devsar, Peerzada Mohammad Syed from Anantnag, Shaikh Zafarullah from Inderwal, Nadeem Sharief from Bhadarwah, Sheikh Riyaz from Doda and Pradeep Kumar Bhagat from Doda West.

The BJP Monday released its fourth list of candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, fielding its union territory unit president Ravinder Raina from Nowshera in the Jammu region.

With the fresh list, the party has so far named 51 candidates, including 14 for the Kashmir Valley, where the BJP is yet to open its account in Assembly elections.

The other names in the list are: former MLC Vibodh Gupta from Rajouri (ST) in the Jammu region; and Aijaiz Hussain (Lal Chowk), Arif Raja (Eidgah), Ali Mohammad Mir (Khansahib) and Zahid Hussain (Chrar-e-Sharief) from the Kashmir Valley.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which has a 90-member Assembly, is going to polls in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1. These six seats will vote in the second phase.

This will be the first Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 and the state’s division in two Union Territories.