107 Candidates Vie for Seats, 9 Nominations Rejected
Suhail Khan
Baramulla, Sep 13 : As the Assembly Elections have taken center stage in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the political activities have picked up pace even in the 7 constituencies of the Baramulla district, and 107 candidates will be in the race.
An official told Kashmir Despatch that among the 116 candidates who applied for the race, 107 were accepted, while 9 candidates were rejected from different constituencies.
According to the official, in the Baramulla Assembly Constituency, 3 candidates were rejected, 1 candidate was rejected from the Sopore assembly seat, and 2 candidates were rejected from the Rafiabad seat and 3 candidates are rejected from Pattan seat.
As per the official data, now 25 candidates will be in the race for the Baramulla seat, 22 in Sopore, 12 in Rafiabad, 14 in Pattan, 7 in Uri, 14 in Gulmarg, and 13 in Wagoora-Kreeri.
Meanwhile, according to political analysts and ground surveys, a tough competition is expected among these candidates, and a close fight is anticipated in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Analysts suggest that the National Conference appears to be strong in some seats, while the Congress may also leave its mark.
The analysts further state that the AIP (Awami Ittehad Party) can also make a mark, and if the impact of Er Rashid’s release is felt, the fight might become even more intense among the candidates of different political parties.
This election is likely to see independent candidates acting as vote-cutters, which may pose a challenge for the mainstream political parties, said the political analysts.
Pertinently, in the race among 116 candidates, some top figures are included, Congress leaders Haji Abdul Rashid, Advocate Irfan Hafeez Lone, National Conference leaders Irshad Rasool Kar, Javeed Ahmad Dar, Dr. Sajad Shafi, Javeed Hussain Baig, Apni Party leader Yawar Mir, People’s Democratic Party leaders Rafeeq Rather, Irfan Ali, People’s Conference’s Imran Ansari, Advocate Abdul Gani Vakil, and Asif Lone. The race also includes some prominent candidates, including Taj Mahiddin, Touseef Raina, Advocate Mursaleen, Shoiab Nabi Lone, Advocate Latief Ahmad Wani, Naseer Rather, and Muzaffar Ahmad Dar.
Suhail Khan is a filmmaker, content writer, and freelance journalist.
