Jammu, Sep 10 ( ) Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, seeking re-election from Nowshera assembly constituency of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir, faces a major challenge from his former party colleague, Surinder Choudhary.
Choudhary, a former MLC, is contesting the elections as a National Conference (NC) candidate and enjoys support from the Congress.
There are three more candidates in the fray from Nowshera constituency, including PDP and BSP.Nowshera constituency is among the 11 assembly segments in Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts in the Jammu region that will contest polls in the second phase along with 15 seats from the central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam on September 25. A total of 239 candidates are in the final electoral contest from these 26 electoral districts.
Among the 79 candidates for the second phase in Jammu, there are 28 independents, including two former ministers, a former judge and two female candidates. The contest will also see family members fighting each other from two seats and some traitors, including two former ministers - Choudhary Zulfikar Ali and Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari.
All eyes are on the Nowshera seat that Raina won in the 2014 assembly elections when he defeated his nearest rival Surinder Choudhary, then a PDP member, by over 9,500 votes. It was for the first time that the BJP won from the seat. Nowshera had traditionally been a Congress stronghold, winning it for eight consecutive terms between 1962 and 2002, before losing the seat to the NC in the 2008 elections.
Choudhary resigned from the PDP in March 2022 and joined the BJP within a week. However, he left the BJP and joined the NC on July 7 the following year, leveling serious allegations of "corruption and familism" against Raina, who responded by serving him a defamation notice for "baseless allegations with the sole objective of defaming my reputation." within the party." and the masses".
In Budhal (ST), the main contest is expected between BJP's Choudhary Zulfkar Ali and his nephew and NC candidate Javed Choudhary. Ali, a former minister, had won the seat twice in the 2008 and 2014 elections with PDP candidacy before joining the Altaf Bukhari-led Apni Party in 2020. He joined the BJP just before the party announced its first list of candidates for the J&K polls. The BSP and PDP also fielded their candidates for the seat.
The fight in Sunderbani-Kalakote is between Thakur Randhir Singh (BJP) and Yasuvardhan Singh (NC), who are brother and son of former NC MLA Rashpal Singh respectively. There are nine other contenders in the race, including a candidate Pinty Devi and PDP's Majid Hussain Shah, the only Muslim face from the seat.
A triangular contest is in play in Rajouri (ST) between Vibodh Gupta (BJP), Iftikhar Ahmad (Congress) and independent candidate Mian Mahfooz, a prominent spiritual leader. PDP's Tasadiq Hussain and four others are also trying their luck from there.Gupta's candidacy initially sparked a revolt with former MP and minister Choudhary Talib Hussain jumping into the fray as a rebel candidate but later withdrew his candidature.
In Thanamdni (ST), a multi-sector contest is likely between six contenders, including former minister Shabir Khan (Congress), former MP Qamar Choudhary (PDP), retired bureaucrat Iqbal Malik (BJP) and the Former judge and North Carolina rebel, Muzaffar Ahmad Khan.
In Surankote (ST) constituency of Poonch district, former minister Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari, who joined the BJP in February after the Center granted ST status to his Pahari community, is facing the challenge of Shahnawaz Choudhary (Congress) and NC rebel Choudhary Akram, who had won the seat in the 2014 assembly elections. There are five other candidates, including Javaid Iqbal of the PDP, vying for the seat. Among the nine contenders in Mendhar (ST), NC leader Javed Rana, who won the seat in the 2002 and 2014 elections, is locked in a three-way contest with PDP's Nadeem Khan, son of former MLA Rafeeq Khan, and Murtaza Khan, former MLC. who joined the BJP last month.
There are eight candidates vying for the Poonch-Haveli seat, but the main contest is expected to be between former MLAs Aijaz Jan (NC) and Shah Mohammad Tantray (Apni Party). The BJP has had Choudhary Abdul Gani, also a new member of the party.
The three assembly segments of Reasi, including the newly created Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat, are likely to witness an interesting battle with two former Congress ministers fighting as independents this time. Former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma, who is Joined the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led DPAP in September 2022, he is fighting as an independent from the Vaisho Devi seat after the Congress denied him entry despite expressing his desire to return to the party.
While the Congress has ousted Bhupinder Jamwal from the seat, the presence of former MLA and senior BJP leader Baldev Raj Sharma makes it a triangular contest even as the total number of candidates in the fray for the seat is seven. The BJP overcame a rebellion by party workers after it initially announced Rohit Dubey as its candidate before withdrawing the list.
Former minister Aijaz Khan, who switched from Congress to Apni Party in 2022, is also fighting as an independent candidate from Gulabgarh (ST) and faces challenge from NC's Khursheed Ahmad and BJP newcomer Akram Khan. Aijaz Khan had won Gool-Arnas constituency three times in 2002, 2008 and 2014. A direct contest is expected between former MLA Mumtaz Khan (Congress) and Kuldeep Raj Dubey (BJP) from Reasi constituency, where a total of seven candidates, including independent candidate Diksha Kaluria, are in the fray.
Choudhary, a former MLC, is contesting the elections as a National Conference (NC) candidate and enjoys support from the Congress.
There are three more candidates in the fray from Nowshera constituency, including PDP and BSP.Nowshera constituency is among the 11 assembly segments in Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts in the Jammu region that will contest polls in the second phase along with 15 seats from the central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam on September 25. A total of 239 candidates are in the final electoral contest from these 26 electoral districts.
Among the 79 candidates for the second phase in Jammu, there are 28 independents, including two former ministers, a former judge and two female candidates. The contest will also see family members fighting each other from two seats and some traitors, including two former ministers - Choudhary Zulfikar Ali and Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari.
All eyes are on the Nowshera seat that Raina won in the 2014 assembly elections when he defeated his nearest rival Surinder Choudhary, then a PDP member, by over 9,500 votes. It was for the first time that the BJP won from the seat. Nowshera had traditionally been a Congress stronghold, winning it for eight consecutive terms between 1962 and 2002, before losing the seat to the NC in the 2008 elections.
Choudhary resigned from the PDP in March 2022 and joined the BJP within a week. However, he left the BJP and joined the NC on July 7 the following year, leveling serious allegations of "corruption and familism" against Raina, who responded by serving him a defamation notice for "baseless allegations with the sole objective of defaming my reputation." within the party." and the masses".
In Budhal (ST), the main contest is expected between BJP's Choudhary Zulfkar Ali and his nephew and NC candidate Javed Choudhary. Ali, a former minister, had won the seat twice in the 2008 and 2014 elections with PDP candidacy before joining the Altaf Bukhari-led Apni Party in 2020. He joined the BJP just before the party announced its first list of candidates for the J&K polls. The BSP and PDP also fielded their candidates for the seat.
The fight in Sunderbani-Kalakote is between Thakur Randhir Singh (BJP) and Yasuvardhan Singh (NC), who are brother and son of former NC MLA Rashpal Singh respectively. There are nine other contenders in the race, including a candidate Pinty Devi and PDP's Majid Hussain Shah, the only Muslim face from the seat.
A triangular contest is in play in Rajouri (ST) between Vibodh Gupta (BJP), Iftikhar Ahmad (Congress) and independent candidate Mian Mahfooz, a prominent spiritual leader. PDP's Tasadiq Hussain and four others are also trying their luck from there.Gupta's candidacy initially sparked a revolt with former MP and minister Choudhary Talib Hussain jumping into the fray as a rebel candidate but later withdrew his candidature.
In Thanamdni (ST), a multi-sector contest is likely between six contenders, including former minister Shabir Khan (Congress), former MP Qamar Choudhary (PDP), retired bureaucrat Iqbal Malik (BJP) and the Former judge and North Carolina rebel, Muzaffar Ahmad Khan.
In Surankote (ST) constituency of Poonch district, former minister Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari, who joined the BJP in February after the Center granted ST status to his Pahari community, is facing the challenge of Shahnawaz Choudhary (Congress) and NC rebel Choudhary Akram, who had won the seat in the 2014 assembly elections. There are five other candidates, including Javaid Iqbal of the PDP, vying for the seat. Among the nine contenders in Mendhar (ST), NC leader Javed Rana, who won the seat in the 2002 and 2014 elections, is locked in a three-way contest with PDP's Nadeem Khan, son of former MLA Rafeeq Khan, and Murtaza Khan, former MLC. who joined the BJP last month.
There are eight candidates vying for the Poonch-Haveli seat, but the main contest is expected to be between former MLAs Aijaz Jan (NC) and Shah Mohammad Tantray (Apni Party). The BJP has had Choudhary Abdul Gani, also a new member of the party.
The three assembly segments of Reasi, including the newly created Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat, are likely to witness an interesting battle with two former Congress ministers fighting as independents this time. Former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma, who is Joined the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led DPAP in September 2022, he is fighting as an independent from the Vaisho Devi seat after the Congress denied him entry despite expressing his desire to return to the party.
While the Congress has ousted Bhupinder Jamwal from the seat, the presence of former MLA and senior BJP leader Baldev Raj Sharma makes it a triangular contest even as the total number of candidates in the fray for the seat is seven. The BJP overcame a rebellion by party workers after it initially announced Rohit Dubey as its candidate before withdrawing the list.
Former minister Aijaz Khan, who switched from Congress to Apni Party in 2022, is also fighting as an independent candidate from Gulabgarh (ST) and faces challenge from NC's Khursheed Ahmad and BJP newcomer Akram Khan. Aijaz Khan had won Gool-Arnas constituency three times in 2002, 2008 and 2014. A direct contest is expected between former MLA Mumtaz Khan (Congress) and Kuldeep Raj Dubey (BJP) from Reasi constituency, where a total of seven candidates, including independent candidate Diksha Kaluria, are in the fray.
