KL Report
SINAGAR
Veteran National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather has lost first election in last 37 years by 5167 votes. The loss has ended Rather’s record run in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. He has lost to PDP’s candidate Ghulam Nabi Lone. Raher last lost an election in 1972,
Rather was contesting election from this seat for the seventh time.
Rather who is considered to be the back bone of NC started his political career with late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah getting elected to the J&K constituent assembly first in 1977 from char I sharief constituency.
In these 37 years of his political career he has been elected back to back in 1983, 1987, 1996, 2002, 2008 in a row.
He is the only political leader to be elected 6 times in a row from the same constituency. He has also the distinction of being the only finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir to present budget a record 14 times and vote on Acount on two occasions. He has been the best performing finance minister.
Born in village Badipora, Rather was a practising lawyer and also held important portfolios in the National Conference governments including the post of Speaker.
It was third time lucky for Lone who unsuccessfully contested against Rather in 2002 and in 2008.
Earlier, the constituency was represented by National Conference leader Bakshi Abdul Rashid in 1957 and 1962 and Congress leader Abdul Qayoom in 1967 and 1972.
