SRINAGAR: Tasaduq Hussain, cinematographer brother of J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and state Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir were among four candidates to file nomination papers for bypolls to Anantnag-Pulwama Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday.
Tasaduq filed the nomination papers before Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, who is Returning Officer for the Anantnag Parliamentary seat.
He was accompanied by senior PDP leader and MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Abdul Rehman Veeri, PDP vice president Sartaj Madni and other party leaders.
After filing nomination papers, Tasaduq told reporters that he was ready for the electoral battle.
It is Tasaduq’s maiden electoral battle. He joined the active politics and PDP on January 7 this year.
He, however, said the real challenge for him will begin once the elections are over. "It would be a challenge for me to address the aspirations and expectations of the people”.
While kick-starting his election campaign Tasaduq had urged party workers not to risk their lives to ensure his safety.
State Congress chief G A Mir, who is the candidate of National Conference-Congress combine, also filed the nomination papers from the seat.
He was accompanied by former J&K Chief Minister and NC working president Omar Abdullah, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni, Congress leader and former MP from Srinagar Tariq Hameed Karra.
While addressing a gathering of his supporters after filing the nomination paper, Mir said people of Kashmir were disillusioned with PDP led coalition government.
“People are wise enough to understand that PDP has not fulfilled the promises made by it before coming to power,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Omar described PDP a party of broken promises and urged people to vote out the PDP.
“The PDP generated euphoria over compensation and flood relief but once coming into power they left the victims to fend for themselves,” he said adding, “Instead of enhancing relief, PDP found it more convenient to increase the number of pellets and bullets to target Kashmiris”.
An official said apart from Tasaduq and Mir, two more candidates Sanjay Kumar Dhar of Samajwadi Party and Rakesh Koul, an independent candidate, also filed their nomination papers today.
The bypolls to Anantnag-Pulwama parliamentary seat were necessitated after Mehbooba Mufti, who had won 2014 Lok Sabha election from the seat, became chief minister of the State on April 4 last year and resigned from the seat.
The election to the seat will be held on April 12 and separatists have called for boll boycott.