BJP names 16 more for Kashmir polls

The BJP Saturday issued its fourth list of 16 candidates for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Saturday's list includes 13 candidates for the Kashmir Valley and three for Jammu region. The polls will be held Nov 25-Dec 20.

Prominent among those include Daraksha Andrabi for the Sonwari assembly constituency in Srinagar district from where Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will contest.

Mushtaq Navshari has been fielded from Uri in Baramulla district against sitting Congress legislator and minister Taj Mohiuddin.

Zubair Nazir will contest from Batamaloo in Srinagar, Fayaz Rahat from Budgam, Abdul Raheed Banday from Beerwah, where Omar Abdullah and sitting Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Muhammad Shafi Wani are also in the fray.

Abdul Rehman Chopan will contest from Charar-e-Sharief in Budgam district from where National Conference legislator and state finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather is seeking re-election.

Sardar Avtar Singh has been fielded from Tral in Pulwama district while Ghulam Muhammad Wagey will fight from Pampore in the same district.

Javed Ahmad will contest from Shopian, Sohail Malik from Doru, Khursheed Ahmad from Kokernag, Khalid Ahmad Dar from Shangus and P.N. Pandora from Bijbehara.

Those fielded from Jammu region are Devinder Gupta from the Samba (SC) seat, Kavinder Kumar from Gandhinagar and Puran Singh from Darhal in Rajouri district.

The BJP will field candidates for all the 87 assembly seats in the state.