National Conference president Farooq Abdullah will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Srinagar constituency.
“I’m contesting from Srinagar. It has been decided,”Abdullah, the sitting MP from the central Kashmir constituency, told GreaterKashmir.
In April 2017, the NC leader had won the by-polls to theparliamentary constituency comprising Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districtsby defeating PDP’s Nazir Ahmad Khan.
The election to the constituency was necessitated after theformer PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra resigned from the Lok Sabha in protestagainst the “atrocities inflicted upon people during the 2016 uprising”triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
The three-time chief minister of J&K and a former unionminister, the 81-year-old Abdullah was earlier also elected to the lower housein 1980 and 2009.
Senior party leader Muhammad Akbar Lone will be the party’scandidate for the Baramulla parliamentary constituency, Abdullah said.
“His (Lone) name has also been cleared,” he said.
Greater Kashmir had on February 7 reported that Lone’s namehas been finalised for the northern Kashmir seat. One of the senior partyleaders, Lone has won the past three assembly elections from Sonwariconstituency in Bandipora.
Besides, former Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary BR Kundalwill be the party’s candidate for Jammu-Poonch constituency, Abdullah said.
Kundal joined the party last month at a function in Jammu,in presence of Abdullah and other party leaders.
Abdullah said the party’s parliamentary board is meeting incoming days to finalise the names for the remaining constituencies—Anantnag,Ladakh and Udhampur.
“It will be done in coming two to three days,” the NCpresident said.
For the southern Anantnag constituency, a source said, theparty has shortlisted two names including Peer Muhammad Hussain.
A former minister, Hussain was expelled by the PDP inDecember last year for alleged anti-party activities, before he joined the NationalConference.
On Sunday, the election commission of India (ECI) announcedthe schedule for Lok Sabha polls, which will be conducted in five phases inJammu and Kashmir from April 11 to May 6.
The restive Anantnag constituency, which is spread over fourdistricts including Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian, will go to the pollsin three-phases.