Congress Releases Second List of 6 Candidates For Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Polls

Srinagar: Congress on Monday announced its second list of six candidates for the ensuing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. The six names are in addition to the nine candidates which Congress had already announced. 

Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra has been fielded from Central Shalteng. 

Here’s the Congress’ Second List for J-K Polls

• Central Shalteng - Tariq Hameed Karra
• Reasi - Mumtaz Khan
• Shri Mata Vaishno Devi - Bhupender Jamwal
• Rajouri (ST)  - Iftkar Ahmed 
• Thannamandi (ST) - Shabir Ahmad Khan
• Surankote (ST) - Mohd Shahnawaz Choudhary

With this announcement, Congress has now announced candidates for 15 seats out of the 37 seats it is contesting in Jammu and Kashmir elections. 

Congress will fight 32 seats in alliance with the National Conference while on 5 other seats it will have a “friendly” battle with Farooq Abdullah’s party. 

Jammu and Kashmir has a total of 90 assembly constituencies, including 7 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs). According to the Election Commission of India, there are 88.06 lakh eligible voters in the region.

Previously, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had formed a coalition government under Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. However, in 2018, the BJP withdrew its support following the death of Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti's assumption of leadership. These upcoming elections will be the first in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.

The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will take place over three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1. The results are scheduled to be announced on October 8.