A few hours before the expiry of the time for filing nomination papers for the third and final phase of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress party released the last list of the candidates.
Two prominent candidates figured in Congress's last including former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand from the Chhamb assembly segment and journalist-turned-politician and political turncoat Nizamuddin Bhat from the Bandipora Assembly segment.
On the intervening night of September 11 and 12, the Central Election Committee of the Congress finalized the list of party candidates for five Assembly segments of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the list issued by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal, Mir Iqbal will be the party candidate from Baramulla seat, Nizamuddin Bhat from Bandipora, Bhushan Dogra from Suchetgarh reserved seat, Ashok Bhagat from Akhnoor reserved seat and former Speaker and ex-Deputy Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir Tara Chand from Chhamb Assembly segment.
Fearing revolt Cong issues list at the eleventh hour
Fearing a revolt by a youth leader Satish Sharma, the Congress high command issued the last list of party candidates at the eleventh hour.
As September 12th is the last day for filing nomination papers, Congress's high command issued a list on the intervening night of September 11 and 12 so that the annoyed leader could not file his nomination papers.
Earlier on Monday evening, K C Venugopal released a list of Congress candidates for the third and final phase of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir but the name of the former Deputy Chief Minister was mysteriously missing from the list.
Tara Chand, ex-Deputy Chief Minister and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly was adamant about contesting elections on the Chhamb Assembly segment which is now opened from the general category.
The Congress party, on the other hand, has asked Tara Chand to contest the election from the Akhnnoor (reserved) Assembly segment.
Tara Chand was seeking a mandate on the Chhamb Assembly segment but his candidature is opposed by youth leader Satish Sharma.
Tara Chand represented the Chhamb Assembly segment in 1996, 2002, and 2008 but now this segment has been opened for the general category.
Sources said that the party wanted him to shift to the neighbouring Akhnoor Assembly segment reserved for the Scheduled Caste but the former Deputy Chief Minister was adamant about the Chhamb seat.
Once a loyalist of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand resigned from the Congress and joined Azad's Democratic Progressive Azad Party in September 2022.
Within three months after joining the party, Tara Chand dumped his political mentor Ghulam Nabi Azad, and returned to the Congress party.
Satish Sharma, son of two-time Lok Sabha member from Jammu seat, the late Madan Lal Sharma, has exhibited his strength by organizing an impressive show on last week.
By showing his strength Satish Sharma has given a clear message to the Congress leadership that ignoring him for the Chhamb assembly segment would be disastrous for the party in two Assembly seats of Akhnoor sub-division.
Political turncoat figures in Cong's list
Many eyebrows were raised as Congress nominated a political turncoat Nizamuddin Bhat from the Bandipora Assembly segment.
A former journalist Bhat has started his career in PDP. Later he shifted to the People's Conference of the Sajad Gani Lone in 2021 for reasons best known to him.
After Sajad Lone lost the Parliament election, Nizamuddin Bhat on June 26 disassociated himself from the People's Conference.
He said that when he joined the party he was not actively involved. "I was appointed as chairman of the party's Parliamentary Board, but when Sajad Lone declared his candidature for Lok Sabha polls, he didn't consult the board and announced the decision on his own. I was virtually insulted," Bhat said.
Interestingly, Bhat joined the Congress party after the party gave him a mandate on September 11.
Bhat for the last week has been campaigning as an Independent candidate on this seat which was won by Usman Majid as a Congress candidate in the 2014 Assembly elections.
