Congress Finalizes Candidates for J&K Elections

The Congress party has announced six candidates for the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, scheduled for September 25. Candidates include Tariq Hameed Karra from Central Shalteng, Mumtaz Khan from Reasi, and Bhupender Jamwal from Mata Vaishno Devi, among others. This marks part of a broader strategy where Congress will contest 32 seats as per an agreement with the National Conference, which will compete for 51 seats. The assembly elections are significant as they represent the first polls in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Additionally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also released its list of 16 candidates for the same phase. The elections will be held in three phases, with the counting of votes set for October 4.