Mehbooba files nomination from Anantanag

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today filed her nomination papers for by-poll to Anantnag assembly segment as she seeks to become a member of the state legislature within the mandatory period of six months from her swearing-in as CM.

57-year-old Mehbooba, who is currently a Lok Sabha member from the south Kashmir constituency of Anantnag, is contesting from the seat where by-poll was necessitated due to death of her father and the then chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, on January 7 this year.

After filing her nomination papers before the returning officer for Anantnag assembly segment, the PDP chief voiced hope that the people will repose faith in her father and elect her so that she can complete the work started by him.

“People showed their trust in Mufti sahab and gave him an opportunity to be the chief minister. I am hopeful that people will again repose their faith in him and give me an opportunity to complete the work left by Mufti sahab,” said Mehbooba who took over the reins of the PDP-BJP government on April 4 this year, three months after Sayeed’s demise.

Congress has fielded Hilal Ahmad Shah while National Conference has nominated Iftikhar Misger to take on the Chief Minister.

Today is the last date for filing nomination while scrutiny of papers will be conducted tomorrow.

The candidates can withdraw their nomination till June 4.  The voting will be held on June 19 and counting of votes on June 22.

Mehbooba has been elected to the state assembly three times in the past 20 years with her first victory coming in 1996 elections from Bijbehara segment as a Congress candidate.

She has never lost an Assembly election and her only electoral defeat so far was in 1999 Lok Sabha elections when she lost to arch rival and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.

She resigned from the Assembly in 1999 to float regional Peoples Democratic Party along with her father.

She won the 2002 Assembly polls from Pahalgam segment in Anantnag district but resigned two years later after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag.

Her father won the by-poll to Pahalgam seat held that year.

She won the 2008 assembly elections from Wachi assembly segment in south Kashmir’s Shopian district and completed first full six-year term in the House till 2014.

She was elected to the Lok Sabha from south Kashmir in 2014 general elections and did not contest the Assembly elections held later that year.