Voting in the second phase of the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir elections will take place on Wednesday with 239 candidates contesting in 26 constituencies across the Union territory.
In the first J&K Assembly poll since the reorganization of the former state, 15 Assembly constituencies in Ganderbal, Srinagar and Budgam districts of Central Kashmir will go to polls; and 11 districts in Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division in the second phase.
In Kashmir, National Congress (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah is contesting from two seats – Ganderbal and Budgam. J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra is also in the fray for the Central Shalteng seat, where Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi campaigned on Monday.
Apni Party leader Altaf Bukhari is contesting from Srinagar’s Channapora, while BJP state unit chief Ravinder Raina is seeking re-election from Nowshera seat in Jammu.
For NC, the Ganderbal seat is important as three generations of Abdullahs represent the region in the J&K Assembly. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is once again in the fray from the family base, as well as from Budgam.
In Jammu, J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, former ministers Chowdhary Zulfikar Ali, Shabir Ahmed Khan and Syed Mushtaq Bukhari are among the candidates to contest the 11 assembly constituencies. Of these, six districts have been reserved by ST. Bukhari, 75, who ended his decade-long association with the NC to join the BJP in 2022, is contesting from the scheduled tribe’s Surankote seat. Shabir Khan, a former minister, contested as a Congress candidate from the ST Thannamandi reserved seat against Zulfikar Ali, a former minister who was twice elected as a PDP nominee in 2008 and 2014 but joined the BJP.
Modi will address a rally in Sonipat
After completing a three-day US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will address a public meeting in Haryana’s Sonipat.
Several senior BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, will share the stage with the Prime Minister. BJP district president Jasbir Dodwa said that this meeting will be historic.
At his first rally in Haryana on September 15 in Kurukshetra ahead of the October 5 Assembly polls, Modi appealed to the people of the state to elect a BJP government for the third time in a row.
Kurukshetra, which has been a key focus of farmers’ protests against the scrapped farm laws in 2020-21, the Prime Minister highlighted the farmer-centric policies of the BJP-led governments in Haryana and the Centre.
Rahul will address the rally, meet professionals in J&K
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will address an election rally in Jammu on Wednesday in support of Congress candidates Raman Bhalla and TS Tony, candidates from Jammu South and Bahu Assembly constituencies respectively.
Before the meeting, Gandhi will interact with some experts in Jammu. According to a statement by the All India Professionals Congress (AIPC), the event aims to foster an open dialogue on key challenges facing professionals in the region, providing a unique opportunity for their voices to be heard at the national level. “AIPC has invited experts to join this conversation and participate in shaping the future of Jammu and Kashmir,” said Sanjay Sapru, head of AIPC’s Jammu and Kashmir division.
Gandhi will conclude the day with a public meeting in Sopore.
Andhra HC to hear plea on Tirupati laddu
The Andhra Pradesh High Court will on Wednesday hear a petition filed by YSRCP leader YV Subba Reddy regarding the Tirupati laddu dispute.
During the NDA legislative party meeting last week, TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the previous YSRCP government did not spare even the Sri Venkateswara temple and used inferior ingredients and animal fat to make laddus.
Amit Shah in Maharashtra
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Nashik and Kolhapur on Wednesday, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said last week.
“His direction will empower workers and ensure that the Mahayuti (comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP) retains power in Maharashtra, Bawankule said. Polling is likely to be held in the state in November.
Delhi BJP to hold membership drive
BJP’s Delhi unit will conduct a massive membership drive on Wednesday on the occasion of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary, the party said in a statement.
A meeting to review the BJP’s ongoing membership drive was held at the Talkatora stadium here on Sunday where party general secretary Vinod Tawde stressed the importance of increasing the party’s membership ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, which were to be held early next year.
Meanwhile, the party’s national president and Union Health Minister JP Nadda will pay tribute to Upadhyay at the party’s headquarters and also inaugurate a health camp on the occasion.
– With PTI input