By IANS,
Srinagar : The Congress party has released a list of 31 candidates for the assembly elections in the Kashmir Valley, featuring the names of some former legislators and prominent local leaders.
The Congress has again fielded Taj Mohiuddin from the north Kashmir Uri constituency in Baramulla district. In the 2002 elections, he had defeated the senior regional National Conference (NC) leader Muhammad Shafi from the same constituency.
From the apple-rich north Kashmir Sopore constituency, the party has again fielded Abdul Rashid, who had won in 2002.
Prominent among other candidates are seniormost vice president of the party in the state, Abdul Gani Vakil. He has been fielded from the north Kashmir Rafiabad assembly constituency. Vakil was a minister in the Congress-People’s Democratic Party (PDP) alliance government.
Interestingly, the Congress has fielded Sheikh Mohammad Ashfaq from the prestigious north Kashmir Ganderbal constituency, where National Congress president Omar Abdullah filed his nomination papers Monday.
Ashfaq, a police officer, recently resigned from service to contest the polls from his home constituency.
Ashfaq’s father Sheikh Abdul Jabbar was a senior National Conference leader and legislator who defected to G.M. Shah in 1984 bringing down the Farooq Abdullah-led government in the state.
Shah, the brother-in-law of Farooq, had led a government of National Conference defectors in 1984 in the state with the support of the Congress party.
Surinder Singh (Chenni), a social activist and well-known resident of the south Kashmir Tral constituency, has been fielded by the Congress from there this time.
The seven-phase polls will be held for the 87-member legislative assembly from Nov 17 to Dec 24.