Mehbooba Mufti, the president of the PDP, took a significant step on Thursday by submitting her nomination papers for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, slated for elections in the third phase on May 7.
Accompanied by a multitude of party officials and fervent supporters, Mehbooba made her way to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Syed Fakhruddin, who serves as the returning officer for the constituency, to formalize her candidacy.
Addressing the press afterward, the former chief minister urged the populace not to abstain from voting, emphasizing that this election resonates with the ongoing struggle for the dignity, identity, and resources of Jammu and Kashmir. She implored the people to see through the attempts to impose a boycott, emphasizing the importance of selecting a candidate who will advocate for the oppressed and incarcerated individuals.
Mufti stressed that this electoral contest transcends mundane developmental concerns like electricity, water, and roads. Instead, she framed it as a battle against the encroachments on the region's dignity, identity, and resources since 2019. She decried the transformation of Kashmir into a metaphorical prison, where fundamental rights are curtailed and resources exploited, pledging to safeguard the region's autonomy and economic prospects.
The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, scheduled for polling on May 7, witnesses its final day for nomination submissions on Friday. This constituency emerged from the redrawing of electoral boundaries, amalgamating segments from the erstwhile Anantnag-Pulwama and Jammu-Poonch-Rajouri constituencies following the 2022 delimitation exercise.
With the BJP abstaining from fielding a candidate and DPAP withdrawing Ghulam Nabi Azad from contention, the electoral arena sets the stage for a formidable contest between Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP and Mian Altaf Ahmad, a prominent Gujjar leader from the National Conference.
While Azad's DPAP nominates Mohammad Saleem Parray and the Apni Party selects Zaffar Iqbal Manhas as their respective candidates, all eyes remain fixed on the impending clash between Mufti and Ahmad for the parliamentary seat.
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