Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 13: Six days left to file nomination papers for the prestigious Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, but uncertainty still prevails over BJP’s candidate in this segment.
The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat has become a hot seat in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after two former Chief Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti are going to contest elections on this segment.
Ghulam Nabi Azad is the head of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and Mehbooba Mufti is the supremo of the PDP.
Furthermore, the National Conference has declared veteran politician and prominent Gujjar leader of J&K Mian Altaf as the party nominee for this hot seat.
Highly placed sources in the BJP said that the decision on three seats of Kashmir Valley including that of the Anantnag-Rajouri seat will be taken by the party's high command after exploring all possibilities.
“The earlier name of the bureaucrat was in the discussion for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat but after the NC declared Mian Altaf as its candidate the party is redevising its strategy for this seat”, sources said, adding, “party leadership With six days left to file nomination papers uncertainty still prevails over BJP’s candidate .
The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat has become a hot seat as two former J&K Chief Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti are going to contest elections from this constituency.
BJP leadership was mulling to field a bureaucrat from Anantnag-Rajouri seat
After the NC declared Mian Altaf as its candidate BJP is redevising its strategy for this seat
“Keeping in view the importance of three seats of Kashmir Valley the central leadership of BJP will take final decision on these three seats”, sources said and added that local leadership has asked to focus only on campaigning, and names of the candidates would be finalized by the central leadership.
Important to mention here that the Election Commission of India issued a notification for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, which is going to polls in the third phase on May 7.
Anantnag District Magistrate Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, who is also the Returning Officer for the constituency, issued the notification for filing nominations.
The last date to file the nominations is April 19, while the papers will be scrutinised on April 20.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 22, the notification said.
The National Conference has announced senior Gujjar leader Mian Altaf Ahmad as its candidate for the constituency, while the PDP has fielded its chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
The Apni Party has declared Zaffar Manhas as the party candidate on this seat. | 