The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party on Thursday announced a list of 24 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

According to the news agency KNO, the party president Syed Mohammad Altaf will contest from Chanapora constituency.

As per the official list, Mohammad Ashraf Mir has been given a mandate for Lal Chowk constituency, Zaffar Habib Shah for Central-Shalteng, Mohammad Ashraf Palpori for Eidgah, Syed Muzaffar Rizvi for Beerwah, Riyaz Bhadana for Khan Sahib, Ghulam Hassan Mir for Gulmarg, Yawar Dilawar Mir for Rafiabad, Ghulam Mohammad War for Sopore, Shabir Ahmad Lone for Baramulla and Riyaz Ahmad Sheikh for Pattan constituency.

The list further reads that Shabir Ahmad Shah has been given a mandate to contest from Wagoora-Kreeri constituency followed by Imtiyaz Ahmad Parray from Sonawari, Raja Manzoor from Karnah, Mohammad Amin Bhat from Kupwara, Abdul Rahim Wani from Lolab and Dr Noor-ud-Din Shah from Trehgam.

Mohammad Munawar Khawaja from Langate, Manjit Singh from Vijaypur, Advocate Sahil Bharti from Ramgarh, Advocate Lovely Mangol from Samba (SC), Choudhary Yasir Ali from Bani, Syed Manzoor Hussain Shah from Rajouri (ST) and Shah Mohammad Tantray from Poonch-Haveli have also been given mandate to fight the elections.

SRINAGAR — In a significant political development, Junaid Azim Mattu, a senior leader of the Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), has announced his resignation from the party. He resigned from the party days after he was declared as its candidate from Zadibal segment.

Mattu made the announcement about his resignation from the Apni Party, as per the news agency KNO in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday night. Mattu claimed that the decision was made after extensive consultations with his supporters.

"It is with a heavy heart, and with all humility at my command, that I announce my decision to part ways with the J&K Apni Party," he wrote on X.

Mattu also said that the Apni Party would be at complete liberty to field an appropriate candidate from Zadibal in his place. He said that during his Hajj pilgrimage earlier this year, he had taken a solemn pledge to uphold his conviction and do politics guided by his own principles and a sense of discerning right from wrong.

"Primarily underscored by this solemn pledge and based also on extensive consultations with my workers and supporters over the last five days, I have reached this decision," he said.

Wishing best wishes to Apni Party supremo Syed Altaf Bukhari, Mattu said Bukhari has been nothing but kind, protective and large-hearted.

"However, my own convictions are no longer congruent or symmetrical with the ideology of the party and in this situation — to still remain associated with the party or to contest elections as a party candidate would be outrightly disingenuous," he added.

He further said that he will address the media in a couple of days to share his views, answer questions and outline his intentions and goals going forward.

SRINAGAR — In a major setback to the Apni Party, the recently appointed constituency in-charge for Bijbehara-Srigufwara constituency, Tariq Ahmad Veeri rejoined the National Conference in the presence of his brother and senior NC leader Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri.

As per the news agency KNO, Tariq Ahmad Veeri, who had joined the Apni party a few years before rejoined NC at the office of Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri in Anantnag.

The joining of Tariq Ahmad Veeri will further boost NC's winning chances where there is a direct contest between Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija Mufti.

SRINAGAR — Putting an end to speculations, former MLA Kokernag Abdul Rahim Rather on Friday announced his resignation from the basic membership of the Apni Party.

As per the news agency CNS, Rather announced his resignation from the party during a press conference and cited the justification of his discomfort with the Apni party's manifesto.

After parting his way with the Apni Party, former MLA Abdul Rahim Rather said that he is currently weighing options as to which party he will join.

"The decision to join any other political party will be taken after consulting my workers and supporters," Rather said.

Rather's resignation from the Apni party came amid the ongoing spree of political leaders' defections across J&K ahead of the Assembly polls.

SRINAGAR — Senior leader Zafar Iqbal Manhas resigned from basic membership of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) on Tuesday.

Speaking to the news agency KNS, Manhas confirmed his resignation and mentioned that he will decide on his future plans after receiving feedback from party workers.

Notably, Manhas was a candidate for the Rajouri-Anantnag Parliamentary seat in the recently conducted Lok Sabha elections.

SRINAGAR — Former Minister and Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Usman Majid, has indicated his departure from the party led by Altaf Bukhari.

According to the Srinagar-based news gathering agency KDC, this development is evident due to changes made in his social media profiles, where references to the Apni Party have been conspicuously removed.

Moreover, a press release issued on Monday by Majid's office, titled "Political workers from different political parties join forces with former minister Usman Majid in Bandipora," notably omitted any mention of the Apni Party, further hinting at his imminent exit.

Majid, a two-time MLA from the Bandipora assembly segment and former Minister of Planning & Development in J&K, has a long-standing political history, previously aligned with the Congress before joining the Apni Party.

Sources close to the matter revealed ongoing discussions between Majid and the Congress high command over the past weeks, indicating a probable reunion with his former party.

The potential return to Congress, along with associates like Imtiyaz Parray from the Sonawari assembly segment, is a huge setback for the Apni Party, founded by Altaf Bukhari, a former minister in the PDP-BJP government.

Majid's exit comes at a critical juncture as Jammu and Kashmir prepares for upcoming assembly elections, the first since its transition to a Union Territory and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Political analysts view Majid’s departure as part of a larger trend where leaders disillusioned with recent electoral performances are reassessing their political affiliations. Earlier instances include Khursheed Alam’s exit from Sajad Lone’s Peoples Conference to rejoin PDP, pointing to a broader realignment within the region’s political turf. Also, former J&K minister Syed Basharat Bukhari rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this month.

SRINAGAR — In their first major electoral battle, the candidates fielded by new parties launched in Jammu & Kashmir have lost their security deposit.

All the candidates fielded by Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) have forfeited their security deposit in the Lok Sabha polls, the results of which were declared on Tuesday.

According to the details available with the news agency KNO, Muhammad Ashraf Mir and Zaffar Iqbal Manhas of JKAP have lost their security deposit as they failed to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled in their respective constituencies.

While Mir polled 9.77 per cent of the total votes cast in the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, Manhas secured 13.86 per cent of the total votes polled in Anantnag-Rajouri segment.

According to details, GM Saroori fielded by DPAP forfeited his security deposit as he managed to secure only 3.56 per cent of the total votes polled in the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat.

Two other candidates fielded by Ghulam Nabi Azad-led party also lost security deposit in their respective constituencies.

While Muhammad Saleem Parrey secured a meagre 2.47 per cent of the total votes polled in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, Amir Ahmad Bhat polled only 2.24 per cent of votes polled in the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.

Interestingly, PDP candidate for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, Mir Muhammad Fayaz also lost his security deposit.

As per the Election Commission of India, Mir polled only 2.66 per cent of votes polled in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.