The filing of nomination papers of 279 candidates for the ensuing Assembly elections for 24 constituencies in the first of three phased polls in Jammu and Kashmir concluded on Tuesday. Of the 24 seats voting in the first phase, 16 are in the Valley and 8 in the Jammu region. Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations for the first phase, which covers assembly segments in the south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag, and Shopian and assembly seats in the Chenab valley area of the Jammu region, comprising Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts.
Interestingly, only three candidates have filed nominations for the Srigufwara–Bijbehara constituency in South Kashmir.
Sofi Yousuf - BJP candidate
Sofi Yousuf filed his nomination as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Srigufwara-Bijbehara Assembly Constituency.
Before joining politics Sofi Yousuf was a policeman, who says he has survived two terrorist attacks and is a fan of both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
He contested Assembly elections in 2002, 2008 and 2014, and Lok Sabha polls in 2004, 2009 and 2014 on BJP tickets, but never won.
When the PDP-BJP government came to power in 2015, Yousuf was elected to the Upper house of the J&K Legislative Assembly, becoming the first BJP legislator from Kashmir.
Yousuf is one of the old hands of the BJP in Kashmir, who thinks “development is the solution” to the Kashmir problem.
Iltija Mufti - PDP
Meanwhile, Iltija Mufti, daughter of Mehbooba Mufti (former CM of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir), filed her nomination as a Peoples’ Democratic Party candidate from the Srigufwara–Bijbehara constituency.
The 37-year-old — who entered politics after her mother was detained in Aug 2019 in the run-up to the nullification of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status — is contesting elections for the first time, replacing Abdul Rehman Veeri, who had contested from the seat from 1999 to 2014.
Reports suggest that Srigufwara–Bijbehara has always been a traditional PDP stronghold.
Tariq Ahmad Veeri - NC
Tariq Ahmad Veeri who rejoined the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference filed his nomination on Tuesday for the Srigufwara–Bijbehara constituency.
This switch occurred in Anantnag at the office of Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri, Tariq’s brother and a senior NC leader.
Veeri, who had joined the Apni party a few years before rejoining NC had a rift with his brother Dr Basheer Ahmad Veeri which ultimately led to his exit from the party.
The joining of Tariq Ahmad Veeri will further boost NC’s winning chances where there is a direct contest between Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti.
The first phase of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on September 18, the second on September 25 and the third on October 1. The counting of votes will be undertaken on October 4.
