SRI NAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will contest the Assembly polls from his home constituency of Anantnag.
“The PDP’s Political Affairs Committee meeting which was attended by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, party president Mehbooba Mufti and some other senior leaders today discussed the names of the candidates and finalised the candidates for 11 more seats,” a party spokesperson said on Sunday.
There was speculation that Sayeed might not contest the elections and would prefer the Legislative Council route if his party was in a position to form a government after the elections.
Although the party has not announced Sayeed as its chief ministerial candidate, party leaders said he would be the Chief Minister if the PDP came to power.
Economist and former J&K Bank chairman Haseeb A Drabu, who recently joined the PDP, will contest from Rajpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Pulwama district along with Anantnag and Shopian districts is a PDP stronghold.
According to the PDP spokesman, M Khalil Bandh will contest from Pulwama, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat from Shopian, Raja Manzoor from Karnah, Mohammad Abass Wani from Gulmarg, Mohammad Iqbal Kazmi from Surankote, Suhuabul Haq from Doda, Firdous Tak from Kishtwar, M Maroof Khan from Mendhar and Nazir Ahmad Naikoo from Sopore.
The party has so far announced candidates for 49 of the 87 seats for the elections. However, the party is struggling to announce candidates for Batamaloo and Baramulla seats, which were represented by Tariq Hamid Karra and Muzaffar Hussain Baig till they won Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar and Baramulla respectively.