Congress not to field candidates against G H Mir, Hakeem Yasin
SRINAGAR, Nov 09: The Congress party has decided not to field its candidates against the former ministers Ghulam Hassan Mir and Hakeem Muhammad Yasin.
“The party leadership has decided not to field candidates against these two leaders,” a top Congress leader told Greater Kashmir.
Ghulam Hassan Mir heads the newly formed Democratic Party (Nationalist) and is likely to contest from Tangmarg in north Kashmir, while Yasin is the president of Peoples
Democratic Front and would contest from Budgam in central Kashmir.
Asked, whether the party would field it’s candidate from Handwara, the leader said,
“We’ve set up a two member panel to take a stock of the situation in the constituency.
The decision about fielding the candidate would be taken after the panel submits its report.”
It said that party leadership has short listed three candidates, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat, Ghulam Hassan Wani and Raja Farooq, for Handwara and one among them is likely to get the mandate.
Sources said the final list of candidates for sixth and seventh phase would be issued next week. “Top party leaders would meet in New Delhi and take the final decision on the names of the candidates.”
The party is yet to announce the names of the candidates for the Srinagar and Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the state congress president, Professor Saif-ud-din Soz today said that Congress would support independent candidate Habibullah Bhat from Bandipora.
“We would give complete support to Bhat in Bandipora constituency,” Soz said, adding, “Bhat is an honest and upright person and I hope people would vote for him.”
Congress had earlier given Bhat the mandate to contest elections on Congress ticket but the returning officer didn’t accept his papers as papers didn’t had the signatures of the party’s high command.
Sources said the veteran Congressman, Ghulam Rasool Kar after being denied the mandate by congress, would contest polls as independent candidate from Sopur. The congress has fielded Haji Abdul Rashid Dar from Sopur constituency who earned party a seat in 2002 elections.
Ends-SANA-AR
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