Anantnag: An Independent Candidate, Manzoor Ahmad Khan on Monday filed his nomination papers for Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency, taking the total number of candidates in fray to 3, so far.
Anantnag Parliamentary constituency is spanned in four south Kashmir districts and election is being held in three phases.
The constituency has already made a record of being longest delayed bypoll since 1996.
The constituency was vacated by Mehbooba Mufti in June 2016 to become the chief minister following her father and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s death. No bypoll could be held for the constituency and it surpassed the record in Manipur in 1998-99 when the 60-Singhat legislative assembly constituency was vacant for over a year due to a “poor law and order situation.” The bypoll was not held in Anantnag even election to Panchayat elections was held.
The Anantnag by-polls were delayed twice in 2017, first time in April and then in May, after eight people were killed during election to bypoll for Srinagar.
According to ECI notification, the last date for filing of nominations for the constituency is April 4, while scrutiny of nominations will be held on April 5. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 8. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference’s Justice (Retd) Hasnain Massodi would be main contestants in constituency where elections are held in three phases.
The election for the parliamentary constituency is scheduled on April 23 for Anantnag district, under
Phase -4 on April 29 for Kulgam district and under Phase -5 on May 6 for Shopian and Pulwama districts.
