Budgam, Oct 20 (KNO): Candidates from all major political parties, including the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with several independents, filed their nomination papers on Monday for the upcoming Budgam Assembly by-election — the last day for filing nominations.
According to details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), National Conference (NC) candidate Aga Syed Mehmood, accompanied by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, submitted his nomination papers before the Returning Officer (RO) in Budgam.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi was joined by MLA Waheed Rehman Parra while filing his nomination papers.
Similarly, BJP candidate Aga Syed Mohsin also filed his nomination papers today in the presence of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma.
Apart from major parties, several other candidates entered the fray.
Former Apni Party leader Muntazir Mohiuddin filed his papers as an independent candidate after resigning from the party. Former DDC Chairman Budgam Nazir Ahmad Khan filed his nomination from the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by Engineer Rashid, while Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Kashmir Vice President Deeba Khan also submitted her papers.
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party’s Mukhtar Ahmad Dar filed his nomination papers. He was accompanied by former Chadoora MLA Javaid Mustafa Mir.
A few other independent candidates also filed nominations on the final day.
The Budgam by-election is scheduled for November 11, with counting to take place on November 14. The by-poll was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the Budgam seat, opting to retain his traditional stronghold of Ganderbal following his dual victory in the 2024 Assembly elections—(KNO)