“Former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to Contest Lok Sabha Elections from Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri Seat”

In Short

• Ghulam Nabi Azad to contest Lok Sabha polls from Anantnag-Rajouri
• Azad represents Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP)
• He will fight INDIA bloc’s Mian Altaf Ahmad

Former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is set to enter the Lok Sabha electoral fray from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, as confirmed by his party on Sunday.

Azad will be running as the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), which he founded in 2022 after parting ways with the Congress, marking the end of his nearly 50-year-long association with the party.

“The decision to field Ghulam Nabi Azad sahib as the candidate from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat was made during today’s DPAP working committee meeting,” stated Salman Nizami, Chief Spokesperson of the party.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Azad contested from the Udhampur constituency as a Congress candidate but was defeated by BJP leader Jitendra Singh. This year, DPAP has nominated former state minister GM Saroori for the Udhampur seat.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, a member of the opposition alliance INDIA bloc, has selected veteran leader Mian Altaf Ahmad as its candidate for the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.

The current MP representing the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency is Hasnain Masoodi from the National Conference.