12 candidates in fray from Baramulla, 4 in Leh

Eight candidates withdrew their nomination from Baramulla and Ladakh parliamentary constituencies, leaving a total of 19 candidates in the fray for the two seats going to polls in the last phase of the five-phase elections in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7.
While three candidates, out of the 15, withdrew their nominations from Baramulla, five withdrew from the Leh seat, leaving four candidates in the fray at the end of the deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers today, a spokesman said.
The Election Commission had issued the notification for the two constituencies on March 29. The scrutiny of nomination papers was held on April 21 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations was today.

Prominent among those who remain in the fray for the Baramulla constituency are senior National Conference leader and sitting MP Sharif-ud-din Shariq, former Deputy Chief Minister and PDP candidate Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Independent MLA and president of Awami Itehad Party Sheikh Abdul Rashid, the spokesman said.
Ghulam Mohammad Mir of BJP, Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah of National Panthers Party, Mohd Shafi Bhat of Bahujan Samaj Party and Salam ud din Bajad of Peoples Conference are the other prominent candidates who are trying their luck from the constituency, he said.
After the withdrawal of the candidature by five candidates, the fight for Leh parliamentary constituency will be among Congress, BJP and two Independents.

The candidates who remained in the fray from the constituency are Congress leader Tsering Samphel, BJP's Thupstan Chhewang and Independents Ghulam Raza and Sayed Mohammad Kazim.