File picture of Congress candidate from Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency Chaudhary Lal Singh addressing a rally ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, at Jandrali village, Basohli in Kathua. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Congress late on Monday (September 9, 2024) released its third list of candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls.
The party has fielded Chaudhary Lal Singh from Basohli. A prominent face, Mr. Singh had left the Congress after the 2014 general election and had joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and had served as a Minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government. However, he had courted controversy by supporting some of the accused in the Kathua gang rape case.
Mr. Singh, who had floated the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan, rejoined the Congress before thee 2024 Lok Sabha election and unsuccessfully contested from the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat against Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
Another prominent candidate in the fray is former National Students’ Union of India leader Neeraj Kundan. He has been fielded from Bishnah, a reserved constituency.
In the upcoming elections in J&K, the Congress and the National Conference (NC) are in alliance in which the NC will contest from 51 seats and the Congress in 32 constituencies. The allies have also agreed to have ‘friendly fights’ in five seats.
With the third list, the Congress has so far declared 34 candidates for the Assembly polls.
Besides Mr. Bhalla, Mr. Singh and Mr. Kundan, the Congress fielded Irshad Ab Gani from Langate, Haji Abdul Rashid Dar from Sopore, Adv. Irfan Hafeez Lone from Wagoora-Kreeri, Summit Mangotra from Udhampur West, Mool Raj from Ramnagar (SC) Kajal Rajput from Bani and Manohar Lal Sharma from Billawar, among the 19 candidates announced Monday (September 9, 2024).
The party also fielded Thakur Balbir Singh from Jasrota, Rakesh Choudhary Jatt from Hiranagar, Yashpal Kundal from Ramgarh (SC), Krishan Dev Singh from Samba, T.S. Tony from Bahu, Yogesh Sawhney Balbir Singh from Nagrota, Thakur Manmohan Singh from Jammu West and Mula Ram from Marh (SC).
The Congress last Monday (September 2, 2024) released its second list of six candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, fielding JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra from Central Shalteng.
Before that, the party had named nine candidates.
The Jammu and Kashmir elections will be held in three phases — September 18, September 25 and October 1 — followed by counting of votes on October 8.
(With PTI inputs)
Published – September 10, 2024 12:12 am IST
