Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 1: Five days after notification for first phase of polling for 15 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir was issued, five candidates today filed their nomination papers in Doda and Ramban districts while several prominent leaders of Kargil secured forms from the Returning Officer and would be filing their papers on Monday.
No nomination paper has so far been filed in Kishtwar district of Jammu region.
Official sources said four candidates today filed nomination papers in Doda district including three for Bhaderwah Assembly segment and one for Doda.
Sheikh Mohammad Shaffi (Samajwadi Party), Dr KS Charak and Reyaz Mohammad Zargar (both Independent candidates) filed their nomination papers for Bhaderwah Assembly constituency while Independent candidate Mohammad Ali Shokeen joined electoral fray from Doda Assembly seat.
Samajwadi Party candidate Amrit Varsha also filed nomination papers for Ramban (reserve) seat today.
Today was the first day when any candidate filed nomination papers for any of six seats in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban district, which will go to polls in first phase on November 25. November 5 is last date for filing of nomination papers.
The candidates of major political parties including NC, PDP, BJP, Congress, NPP, BSP and others are likely to file their nomination papers on November 3 and 5, the only two working days left for filing of nomination papers as there are holidays on November 2 and 4.
No nomination papers have so far been filed for Kishtwar and Inderwal Assembly segments of Kishtwar districts and Banihal constituency in Ramban district.
In Leh Assembly segment, BJP candidate Tsering Dorjey is lone candidate, who had filed his papers yesterday. All four seats of Ladakh region—Leh, Nobra, Kargil and Zanskar are going to polls in the first phase.
Meanwhile, four prominent candidates today secured nomination papers for Kargil Assembly segment from the Returning Officer.
They are Haji Asgar Ali Karbalai, who is being fielded by Congress. He is Chief Executive Councilor (CEC), Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. Haji Anayat Ali of PDP and Aziz Munshi of BJP also secured nomination papers.
Significantly, Dr Kacho Hussain son of late Kacho Mohammad Ali Khan, former MLA Kargil, also took nomination papers as independent candidate. A retired KAS officer Ghulam Mohammad Brakboo also took the papers to join the fray as independent candidate from Kargil.
Meanwhile, Islamiya School Kargil is understood to have prepared a panel of four candidates and would take a decision in next couple of days on extending support to one of them.
Islamiya School Kargil and Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust have very significant influence over the voters of Kargil and Zanskar Assembly segments of Kargil district.
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