SRINAGAR: Barely 20 hours before the nomination process for phase one freezes, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) officially announced its list of candidates.
The list includes 19 candidates who will represent the party in key constituencies across the region. This marks a significant step as the party, in alliance with the Indian National Congress (INC) and other regional partners, prepares to contest the polls.
The candidates nominated by the JKNC for the 24 seats that will be up for election in the first phase are as follows:
- Pampore: Retd. Justice Hussnain Masoodi
- Pulwama: Mohammad Khalil Bandh
- Rajpora: Gh. Mohi-Ud-Din Mir
- Zainpora: Showkat Hussain Ganie
- Shopian: Sheikh Mohammad Rafi
- D.H. Pora: Sakina Ittoo
- Devsar: Peerzada Feroze Ahmad
- Larnoo: Chowdary Zaffer Ahmad
- Anantnag West: Abdul Majeed Larmi
- Bijbehara: Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri
- Anantnag East: Reyaz Ahmad Khan
- Pahalgam: Altaf Ahmad Kaloo
- Bhaderwah: Mehboob Iqbal
- Doda: Khalid Najeeb Soharwardy
- Ramban: Arjun Singh Raju
- Banihal: Sajad Shaheen
- Kishtwar: Sajad Kichloo
- Pader-Nagsani: Pooja Thokur
The remaining five constituencies will be contested by candidates from the Congress and other allied parties, reflecting the strategic seat-sharing arrangement within the alliance.
So far only Sakina Ittoo has filed her nomination. On August 26, on the last day of filing nominations, Kashmir will see a rush of activity across the areas which fall in phase one of the assembly elections. These segments will go to polls on September 18, 2024.
Kulgam which also goes to polls in phase 1, will have CPI (M) leader Yusuf Tarigami as the INDIA bloc candidate.
The delay in the announcement of candidates was linked to tensions with Congress on certain seats. Now, NC and Congress will be contesting against each other on five of the 90 seats.