Even as no electioneering is visible in any part of poll-bound Kashmir Valley’s two Parliamentary constituencies, the candidates have begun filing nomination papers in sensitive south Kashmir’s Anantnag-Pulwama constituency that was the epicenter of 2016 unrest.
On Wednesday, ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Tasaduq Mufti filed his nomination papers at deputy commissioner’s office in Anantnag. Tasaduq, 44, is brother of CM Mehbooba Mufti, who joined active politics in January last on the first death anniversary of his father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. He is a trained cinematographer and had shown no inclination towards politics during his father’s lifetime. He is contesting on the seat left vacant by the resignation of Mehbooba Mufti contested for the assembly seat after becoming the chief Minister in April 2016.
Mehbooba initiated poll campaign for her brother from Pahalgam on Tuesday. She hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and justified her party’s decision to align with the BJP. The opposition National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance is targeting PDP on its alliance with the BJP saying the alliance has opened gates for the RSS in the Muslim-majority State. Talking to the reporters after filing his papers Tasaduq said that he was ready for the contest and that the real challenge for him would start once the elections were over. “Challenge for me would be to address aspirations and expectations of the people and the job will start after elections are over,” he said. He has earlier asked the people not to risk their lives for casting votes.
The Congress-NC candidate Gulam Ahmad Mir, who is the State chief of the Congress, also filed his nomination papers. The Srinagar and Anantnag constituencies are going to by-poll on April 9 and 12 respectively. As many as 11 candidates including NC’s Farooq Abdullah and PDP’s Nazir Khan are in fray from Srinagar constituency where scrutiny of papers was conducted on Wednesday.