With the BJP and Congress announcing their candidates for the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the rush to file nomination papers is expected to intensify. The deadline for submitting nominations is September 5, leaving only three days for candidates to join the electoral race.
In Kashmir, former Speaker Mubarak Gul, along with 11 other candidates, filed their nomination papers today. Nominations for the second phase opened on August 29, but so far, only three candidates have filed in the Jammu division, including two in Rajouri district and one in Reasi district. No nominations have yet been submitted from Poonch district.
The second phase of voting will cover 11 Assembly seats in the Jammu division, which include Katra, Reasi, and Gulabgarh in Reasi district; Poonch, Mendhar, and Surankote in Poonch district; and Rajouri, Thannamandi, Darhal, Nowshera, and Sunderbani-Kalakote in Rajouri district.
Among those who filed today, PDP candidate Qamar Choudhary submitted his papers for the newly created Thannamandi constituency in Rajouri district. Choudhary, who previously won the Rajouri seat in 2014, has shifted his focus to Thannamandi this election. He will face competition from BJP’s Iqbal Malik, Congress’s Shabir Khan, and Independent Muzaffar Khan, among others.
National Conference (NC) candidate Surinder Choudhary and BJP nominee Kuldeep Raj Dubey had previously filed their nominations for the Nowshera and Reasi seats, respectively.
As per the NC-Congress seat-sharing agreement, Congress will contest the Katra and Reasi seats, while Gulabgarh will be contested by the NC. In Poonch, the NC will field candidates for Poonch Haveli and Mendhar, with Congress contesting Surankote. In Rajouri, NC will contest Sunderbani, Nowshera, and Darhal, while Congress will field candidates for Rajouri and Thannamandi. The BJP will contest all 11 seats in this phase.
In Central Kashmir, Mubarak Gul, a senior NC leader, filed his nomination papers for the Eidgah constituency in Srinagar. He was joined by party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and expressed confidence that the vote will address grievances and injustices faced by the people since 2019.
PDP candidate Zuhaib Yousuf Mir also submitted his papers for the Lal Chowk constituency in Srinagar, emphasizing his party’s commitment to restoring dignity and rights to the people.
Independent candidate Waseem Ahmad Shalla, who was not given a party ticket by Congress, filed his nomination for the Khanyar constituency, seeking to end what he describes as dynastic rule.
Additionally, Mehar Ali, son of NC senior leader Mian Altaf, filed his nomination for the Kangan Assembly constituency, with strong support from party leaders and his father.
The deadline for filing nominations is September 5, with scrutiny scheduled for September 6. Candidates have until September 9 to withdraw their papers. The Jammu and Kashmir elections are being held in three phases: September 18 for the first phase, September 25 for the second phase, and October 1 for the final phase, with vote counting scheduled for October 8.
