With the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir's much-anticipated Assembly elections approaching, a total of 25 candidates have withdrawn their nominations.
This development leaves 219 candidates contesting across 24 constituencies.
Among the withdrawals, several independents have stepped back. In Anantnag district, independent Sheikh Muzafar Ahmad has withdrawn from the Anantnag-West constituency.
Similarly, Mohd Hussain Pader and Shahid Hussain Bhat, also independents, have pulled out from the Dooru constituency. Mohammad Ayub Band, another independent, has withdrawn from the Tral constituency in Pulwama district.
The Kishtwar district saw the withdrawal of independents Sajjad Ahmed, Mohd Aslam Dev, and Sanjay Kumar, reducing the number of candidates to seven for the Kishtwar constituency. The Padder-Nagseni constituency lost Bahujan Samaj Party's Arshad Muthier.
In Inderwal, independents Irshad Ahmad and Farooq Ahmad Keen, along with DPAP's Fatima Begum, have withdrawn.
Doda district also saw significant withdrawals: Syed Aasim Hashmi from Doda-West, and independents Varinder Kumar Razdan, Anil Kumar, Bhoori Singh, and Amil Kumar, as well as DPAP's Mohammad Aslam Goni from Bhaderwah. Gurukesh Gupta and Urfi Majid Wani, a DPAP covering candidate, also withdrew from Doda.
Ramban district witnessed the withdrawal of two independents, Chhankar Singh and Suresh Kumar, as well as J&K National Panthers Party's Bhadur Singh and DPAP's Girdhari Bhau. Gulzar Ahmad, an independent, and DPAP leader Asif Ahmad Khanday withdrew from the Banihal constituency.
Lastly, Rameez Ahmad Dar, an independent, has withdrawn from the Devsar constituency in Kulgam.
Voting for the first phase is scheduled to begin on September 18, with the second phase on September 25 and the final phase on October 1. Results are expected to be announced on October 4.
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