The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress Party has released another list of 19 candidates for third phase of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Among those contesting the polls are six former Ministers, including Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, who has been fielded from the Billawar Assembly segment, Choudhary Lal Singh from the Basohli Assembly constituency, Raman Bhalla from RS Pura-Jammu South, Yogesh Sawhney from Jammu East, Yashpal Kundal from Ramgarh, and Mula Ram from the Marh Assembly segment.
Two former MLAs-Haji Abdul Rashid Dar from Sopore and Thakur Balbir Singh from Jasrota Assembly constituencies-have also been fielded by the party.
Additionally, two sitting District Development Councillors (DDCs) have been included in the list, including Independent DDC Taranjeet Singh Tony from Suchetgarh, who is now a Congress leader, and has been fielded from the newly created Bahu Assembly constituency, and Mool Raj from Ramnagar, who has been fielded from the same Assembly constituency after he recently resigned from his position and BJP to contest the polls. Former Corporator Thakur Manmohan Singh has been fielded from Jammu West.
Among others who received the Congress mandate are Irshad Ab Gani from Langate, Advocate Irfan Hafeez Lone from Wagoora Kreeri, Summit Mangotra from Udhampur West, Kajal Rajput from Bani, Rakesh Choudhary Jatt from Hiranagar, Krishan Dev Singh from Samba, Neeraj Kundan from Bishnah, and Balbir Singh from the Nagrota Assembly segment.
The party has not fielded any candidates so far from Chhamb, Akhnoor and Suchetgarh Assembly segments in Jammu district.
However, as part of the NC-Congress alliance, the party has fielded one joint candidate, Ajay Sadhotra of NC from Jammu North Assembly segment, two joint candidates, Sunil Verma (NC) and Harsh Dev Singh (National Panthers Party India), in Udhampur East and Chenani Assembly constituencies in the Udhampur district; one joint candidate, Rajesh Pargotra (NC), in the Vijaypur Assembly segment of Samba District; and one joint candidate, Subash Chander Azad (NC), in the Kathua Assembly segment.
