J&K polls: Mehbooba Mufti's PDP fields candidate against Omar Abdullah

Srinagar, Aug 28 (IANS) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday decided to field its leader, Bashir Ahmad Mir against former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah in J&K’s Ganderbal Assembly constituency. 

The party announced its decision to field Bashir Ahmad Mir a day after the NC announced Omar Abdullah as its candidate for the Assembly seat.

Interestingly, NC and PDP are partners in the INDIA bloc. And, a few days ago, Omar Abdullah had asked the PDP not to field candidates against NC-Congress nominees for the betterment of J&K.

Bashir belongs to the adjacent Kangan Assembly constituency and has fought elections unsuccessfully twice against the NC’s formidable candidate, the senior Gujjar leader, Mian Altaf Ahmad.

Kangan constituency was declared an ST reserved constituency after the delimitation of the Assembly constituency. Only a tribal candidate can fight elections from this reserved constituency.

It was because of Bashir’s inability to stand for the PDP from the Kangan constituency as he does not belong to the tribal Gujjar community, that prompted the PDP to try him from the adjacent Ganderbal constituency.

In the last Assembly polls in 2014, PDP had won 28 seats and later formed the government with BJP, which had won 25 seats.

The Peoples Conference (PC) headed by Sajad Gani Lone also announced the names of party candidates on Wednesday.

Abdul Gani Vakil has been fielded for the Rafiabad constituency, Nazir Ahmad Laway for Kulgam, Abid Hussain Ansari for Zadibal, Irfan Mattoo for Eidgah, Dr Bashir Ahmad Chalkoo for Uri, Asif Lone for Baramulla and Mohd Hamza Lone for Gurez.

Of these constituencies, Rafiabad, Uri and Baramulla constituencies are located in the Baramulla district. Zadibal and Eidgah are in the Srinagar district, Gurez in the Bandipora district, and Kulgam constituency is located in the Kulgam district.

Four former members of the Jamaat-e-Islami organisation filed their nomination papers for the first phase of Assembly elections on Tuesday.

These candidates have filed nomination papers for Pulwama, Kulgam, Devsar and Shopian.

The daughter of jailed separatist cleric, Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Sarjan Barkati has filed papers for her father for the Shopian Assembly seat.

Sarjan and his wife are presently in jail in connection with a money laundering racket linked to terror funding.

--IANS

sq/dpb