The nomination process for the Phase-II Assembly elections in Jammu division has intensified, with notable candidates filing their papers today. Among the prominent figures were BJP candidates Thakur Randhir Singh for the newly created Sunderbani-Kalakote seat and Mohammad Akram Choudhary for Gulabgarh. Also in the fray are former judge and NC rebel Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, son of former NC MLA Aslam Khan, and Udeshpal Sharma, son of late PDP leader Yashpal Sharma.
The bulk of nominations for the 11 constituencies going to polls in the second phase on September 25 are expected to be filed in the final days before the September 5 deadline. BJP’s UT Chief Ravinder Raina, contesting from Nowshera, and other candidates are likely to submit their papers by then.
Thakur Randhir Singh, accompanied by Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh and BJP Lok Sabha member Jugal Kishore Sharma, submitted his nomination for Sunderbani-Kalakote. Randhir Singh, the brother of late MLA and NC leader Rashpal Singh, faces his nephew Thakur Yashuvardhan Singh, the NC nominee. According to the NC-Congress seat-sharing agreement, the Sunderbani-Kalakote seat, along with Nowshera and Darhal in Rajouri, has been allocated to NC, while Rajouri and Thannamandi have been assigned to Congress.
Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, a former judge and prominent National Conference leader who recently retired, is running as an Independent from the newly constituted Thannamandi constituency. This seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), sees competition from Congress’s Shabir Khan and BJP’s Mohammad Iqbal Malik. Khan’s father, Aslam Khan, previously served as an MLA from Rajouri.
In Poonch-Haveli constituency, the electoral landscape grew more competitive with the entry of Dr. Udeshpal Sharma, who has filed as an Independent candidate. Sharma, son of the late PDP leader Yashpal Sharma, is the first candidate from Poonch district to submit his nomination papers. National Conference has fielded former MLA Aijaz Jan, while BJP has chosen Choudhary Abdul Ghani. PDP has announced District Development Council (DDC) member Shamin Ganaie for the seat.
In Reasi district, BJP candidate Mohammad Akram Choudhary submitted his papers for Gulabgarh, a seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs). Khema Dubey, wife of BJP candidate Kuldeep Raj Dubey from Reasi, also filed her papers in support. Independent candidate Sham Singh filed his nomination for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat in Reasi.
The National Conference has nominated Engineer Rashid for Gulabgarh, while Congress has fielded Mumtaz Khan for Reasi and Bhupinder Jamwal for Katra.
The 11 constituencies going to the polls in this phase include Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Reasi, and Gulabgarh in Reasi district; Sunderbani-Kalakote, Nowshera, Rajouri, Thannamandi, and Darhal in Rajouri district; and Poonch-Haveli, Surankote, and Mendhar in Poonch district.
The deadline for filing nomination papers is September 5, with scrutiny scheduled for the following day. The last date for withdrawals is September 9, and voting will take place on September 25.
