New Delhi, March 31: The Congress on Sunday named its candidate from the Jammu & Kashmir Anantnag and Kerala's Vadakara parliamentary constituencies. While Ghulam Ahmed Mir, the president of Jammu & Kashmir Congress Committee, has been fielded from Anantnag, the Vadakara candidate is K Muraleedharan, a former three-time Lok Sabha MP.
Mir was the final name to be announced by the Congress for the two Valley seats which the party is contesting. While no candidate will be fielded from Srinagar, where National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah is in the fray, the Congress will be in contest for the Baramulla seat -- where it has announced Haji Farooq Mir as the candidate. NC Leader Muhammad Akbar Lone Says He Will Abuse Those Who Hurl Abuses at Pakistan
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Anantnag seat was won by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. The seat was relinquished by her in 2016 -- when she was appointed as the Jammu & Kashmir chief minister. Since then, no bypolls could be conducted in Anantnag due to the lack of a conducive atmosphere.
In Vadakara, Mullappally Ramachandran of the Congress had emerged the winner in 2014 general elections.
In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Vadakara would be contested in the third phase, scheduled on April 23. Meanwhile, the single constituency of Anantnag would go to polls in three phases -- on April 23, April 29 and May 6.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2019 07:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).