After last date of withdrawals
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 17: After last date for withdrawal of nomination papers today for 24 Assembly constituencies going to polls in third and final phase in Jammu division on October 1, all notable candidates remained in the fray in the region.
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Two rebels from the BJP and one from the Congress didn’t withdraw.
Among notable candidates left in the contest on 11 seats of Jammu district were a former Deputy Chief Minister, five ex Ministers and two SSPs who took voluntary retirement to jump into the poll fray.
Direct to multi-cornered contests are brewing up in Jammu district after last date for withdrawal of nomination papers with all prominent candidates staying in the fray.
The BJP is contesting all 11 seats of Jammu district. Congress and NC which have alliance in the UT are contesting 10 and two seats respectively. In nine seats, Congress has fielded candidates while NC has its candidate in one. In Nagrota constituency, candidates of both NC and Congress are in the fray as a part of “friendly contest”
A four-cornered contest is on the cards in high-profile Chhamb Assembly constituency where former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand is the Congress candidate despite the seat having been de-reserved for the first time since 1996 election. He is facing stiff challenge from Rajeev Sharma, ex MLA (BJP), Satish Sharma (son of two-time Congress MP and ex Minister Madan Lal Sharma), who is in the fray as Independent candidate after being denied mandate by the Congress and Narinder Singh Bhau, a BJP rebel.
Tara won the seat for three consecutive terms in 1996, 2002 and 2008 before losing to BJP’s Krishan Chand Bhagat in 2014.
In neighbouring Akhnoor, the contest almost appeared to be direct between BJP’s Mohan Lal Bhagat and Ashok Kumar Bhagat of the Congress though many other candidates are also in the fray. Mohan Lal, a JKPS officer took VRS as SSP to enter the battle of ballot while Ashok Kumar is retired JKAS officer.
High-profile Nagrota seat is witnessing triangular fight with Devender Singh Rana in the fray as the BJP candidate. NC has fielded Joginder Singh alias Kaku while Balbir Singh is the Congress representative. Rana won the seat with handsome margin in 2014 as NC candidate. Prior to this, he remained member of the Legislative Council.
RS Pura-Jammu South is yet another prestigious seat where BJP national secretary Narinder Singh Rana is facing Congress heavyweight and former Minister Raman Bhalla. Choudhary Gharu Ram (Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DPAP) is also in the contest among others.
Bhalla has shunned his traditional seat of Gandhi Nagar (now Bahu), which he won in 2002 and 2008 but lost in 2014, and switched over to RS Pura-Jammu South.
Prominent Congress leader Taranjit Singh Gujaral (Tony), who was claimant of RS Pura-Jammu South seat, has been fielded by the Congress in Bahu seat where he is facing Vikram Singh Randhawa, former MLC, as the BJP candidate among others.
Marh and Jammu North are two Assembly constituencies where three former Ministers are trying their luck.
Former Cabinet Minister Mula Ram (Congress) is facing Surinder Bhagat (BJP) and ML Kaith (Independent) among others. Kaith resigned as SSP and was in the race for BJP mandate though he hadn’t joined the party. He jumped into the fray as an Independent candidate.
In Jammu North, two former Ministers–Sham Lal Sharma (BJP) and Ajay Sadhotra (National Conference backed by Congress) are in the fray. BJP rebel Shivdev Singh and DPAP leader Maheshwar Singh are also in the race among others.
Both BJP and Congress have fielded first timers in the Assembly elections—Arvind Gupta and Thakur Manmohan Singh from Jammu West segment. DPAP’s Gourav Chopra is also in the contest besides others.
Yudhvir Sethi (BJP) is too contesting the first Assembly election from BJP’s bastion—the Jammu East. Congress has fielded Yogesh Sawhney, a former Minister, who stunned BJP’s Ashok Khajuria from the same constituency in 2002. BJP senior leader Chander Mohan Sharma has made the contest triangular by joining the fray as an Independent candidate.
Gharu Ram Bhagat (BJP) and Bushan Lal (Congress) are the major contenders in Suchetgarh though many other prominent candidates have also joined the battle of ballots. In Bishnah, Rajeev Kumar (BJP) and Neeraj Kundan (Congress) are the notable candidates.
Meanwhile, a total of eight candiates withdrew theripapers in 24 seats of Jammu including four in Jammu district, three in Kathua and two in Udhampur. No candidate withdraw papers in Samba.
With this, 109 candidates remained in the final electoral fray in Jammu district, 37 in Udhampur district, 35 in Kathua district and 32 in Samba district.
In Jammu division’s Udhampur district, 12 candidates remained in the final electoral fray for election in 59-Udhampur West AC; 9 in 60-Udhampur East AC; 9 in 61-Chenani AC; while 7 candidates remained in the fray in 62-Ramnagar (SC) AC.
In Kathua district, 8 candidates were in the final electoral fray for election in 63-Bani AC; 4 in 64-Billawar AC; 4 in 65-Basohli AC; 8 in 66-Jasrota AC; 5 in 67-Kathua (SC) AC and 6 in 68-Hiranagar AC.
In Samba district, 7 candidates staged in the race for election in 69-Ramgarh (SC) AC; 14 in 70-Samba AC; and 11 71-Vijaypur AC.
In Jammu district, 9 candidates were left in the contest for election in 72-Bishnah (SC) AC; 11 in 73-Suchetgarh (SC) AC; 14 in 74-R.S. Pura – Jammu South AC; 12 in 75-Bahu AC; 9 in 76-Jammu East AC; 8 in 77-Nagrota AC; 12 in 78-Jammu West AC; 17 in 79-Jammu North AC; 6 in 80-Marh (SC) AC; 3 in 81-Akhnoor (SC) AC and 8 candidates in 82-Chhamb AC.
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