J&K Polls: Congress Announces First List of 9 Candidates

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday issued its first list of nine candidates for the three-phase assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, fielding party general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Dooru and former state unit chief Vikar Rasool Wani from Banihal.The announcement came after the Congress clinched a seat-sharing deal with ally National Conference (NC).

The NC and the Congress agreed to contest 51 and 32 seats respectively for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

One seat each has been allotted to the CPI(M) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), the allies announced at a joint press conference at NC president Farooq Abdullah's residence in Srinagar after day-long negotiations.

They also said there will be a "friendly contest" on five seats of the Union territory.

Hours after the announcement, the Congress put out a list of nine candidates for the polls, fielding Mir from Dooru and Wani from Banihal.

The party also fielded Surinder Singh Channi from the Tral seat, Amanullah Mantoo from Devsar, Peerzada Mohammad Syed from Anantnag, Shaikh Zafarullah from Inderwal, Nadeem Sharief from Bhadarwah, Sheikh Riyaz from Doda and Pradeep Kumar Bhagat from Doda West.

The first phase of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on September 18, the second on September 25 and the third on October 1. The counting of votes will be undertaken on October 4.