By IANS,
Jammu : Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad will seek re-election from Bhaderwah constituency in the mountainous district of Doda.
Putting all speculation to rest, the Congress Friday decided to nominate Azad from his native town Bhaderwah, from where he won a by-election in April 2006. Voting in Bhaderwah takes place Dec 17.
“He is the best choice (from Bhaderwah),” state Congress chief Saif-ud-Din Soz said.
Azad, who was reluctant to contest this time because of what he said were “political betrayals”, was persuaded by the party to contest from Bhaderwah, according to Congress sources.
Azad was the first chief minister of the state from the Jammu region. He ruled the state from November 2005 to July 2008, when his term was cut short by the withdrawal of support to his government by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) June 28 over the Amarnath land row.
In Bhaderwah, Azad would face National Conference’s Mohammad Aslam Goni and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Daya Krishan Kotwal.
Azad had won by a record margin of 58,000 votes in the by-election from Bhaderwah, the seat vacated by his cousin Mohammed Sharief Naz, who won it in 2002.