Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Aug 26: The State Congress poll panel is learnt to have recommended more names as single candidate of the party from the respective constituency for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
According to the sources, Girdhari Lal Chalotra and Mumtaz Khan have been recommended as the only suitable candidate for Hiranagar and Gulabgarh constituencies, respectively while Salman Soz among 22 has no other candidate in competition for the panel, finalized for their respective constituency from Kashmir Valley.
Salman Soz is the son of PCC president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz while Mumtaz Khan is the brother of Revenue Minister Ajaz Khan and son of late Haji Buland Khan.
The other single names, recommended for the party mandate, included Raman Mattoo (Habbakadal), Ghulam Hussain Tikri (Kupwara), Haji Farooq Mir (Lolab), Bashir Ahmad Wani (Langate), Faqir Mohd Khan (Gurez), Usman Majid (Bandipora), Imtiaz Parrey (Sonawari), Shoaib Lone (Sangrama), Imtiaz Khan (Eidgah), Hamid Rather (Batmaloo), Ghulam Hussain Geelani (Budgam), Nazir Ahmed Khan (Beerwah), Bashir Ahmed Magray (Pulwama), Anwar Bhat (Pampore), Peer Majid (Wachi), Mushtaq Ahmad (Shopian), Inayat Rather (Homeshalibug), Hilal Shah (Anantnag), Mohd Amin Bhat (Devsar), Gulzar Wani (Shangus) and Advocate Abdul Ghani (Rajpora).
The State Election Committee, which met yesterday at Srinagar for finalizing the panels of party candidates for different constituencies, has recommended 28 names, six from Jammu division and 22 from Kashmir, as the only suitable candidate in their respective constituency.
As already reportedly by the Excelsior in today’s edition, all the sitting Congress MLAs are all set to be repeated in the forthcoming Assembly elections as there is no other name in the panel as possible candidate from their respective constituencies.
Sources informed that the Congress poll panel has recommended the names of Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Asgar for Karnah, Advocate Mohd Yasin Bhat and Ghulam Hassan Wani for Handwara, Abdul Ghani Malik and Mohd Altaf Malik for Rafiabad, Haji Abdul Rashid and Irshad Rasool Kar for Sopore, Hamid Wani and Maqbool Bhatt for Pattan, Sheikh Aijaz and Abdul Rehman Magray for Kangan, Sahil Farooq and Mohd Yousuf Bhat for Ganderbal, Aaga Mohsin and Dr Sayeed for Hazratbal, Shamima Raina and Irfan Naqib for Zadibal, Peer Nisar Hussain and Abdul Ghani Naseem for Khansahib, Zahid Jaan and Dr Gaznaffar for Chrar-e-Sharief, Mehar Ajaz Ahmad and Manzoor Zargar for Noorabad, Nasir Mir and Manzoor Ganai for Pahalgam and Manzoor Ganai and Shahima Nadaf for Bijbehara.
For a few constituencies in Valley, the panels comprise three possible candidates while four names have been suggested for Amirakadal, who included Abid Kashmiri, Farooq Khan, Aamir Rasool and Kedfeen.
The constituencies for which panels with three names have been formed, include Khaniyar (Mushtaq Bajaj, Mohd Yakoob and Mohd Shafaat), Sonawar (Khem Lata Wakhloo, Abid Kashmiri and Bilal Ahmad), Chadoora (Farooq Indrabi, Master Maqbool and Ghulam Nabi Mir) and Tral (Ghulam Mohd Mir, S Chani Singh and Abdul Ghani).
Abid Kashmiri is the only person who has been recommended in the panels for two different constituencies; Amirakadal and Sonawar.
While no decision was taken on Tangmarg and Kulgam, sources said that the Congress is unlikely to field its candidate on these two seats, which are being represented by G H Mir and Mohd Yousuf Tarigami.
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