NC, PDP, BJP candidates filing nominations today
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar Oct 19: The ruling National Conference (NC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today announced their candidates for Budgam Assembly constituency by-elections that is voting on November 11.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The NC has fielded Agha Syed Mehmood as its candidate from Budgam. Party leaders expressed full confidence in Mehmood’s experience and commitment, asserting that he will effectively represent the aspirations of the people of the constituency.
Meanwhile, the PDP has nominated Agha Syed Muntazir Mehdi, who is scheduled to file his nomination papers tomorrow at 12 PM. Mehdi, a young and energetic face of the party, was defeated by Omar Abdullah in last year’s Assembly elections.
Budgam Assembly seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned from the Assembly segment last year and retained his family bastion Ganderbal.
Although several Independent candidates and smaller parties are also in the fray, the main battle clearly appears to be between the two traditional rivals – JKNC and PDP.
In the last year’s Assembly elections, the NC candidate Omar Abdullah who is now Chief Minister polled 36010 votes while his rival and PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi got 17525 votes.
This by-election could serve as a litmus test for the popularity of Omar-led NC Government. For the NC, it would be a tough fight for the party in absence of Omar as a candidate and with its main face in the constituency and Member Parliament, Agha Ruhullah, disgruntled. Ruhullah is not happy with the functioning of the Omar-led Government and he has been speaking openly against the party’s policies for the last one year.
The BJP has fielded Agha Syed Mohsin as its candidate while Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) is fielding former DDC chairman Nazir Ahmad Khan.
Campaigning is expected to pick up momentum after the filing of nominations by NC and PDP candidates tomorrow.
The notification for the by-polls was issued on October 13 and the last date of filing of nominations is on October 20 while the scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on October 22 and the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures has been fixed as October 24.
The post NC fields Mehmood, PDP Muntazir from Budgam appeared first on Daily Excelsior.