In Anantnag, Tasaduq battles for history

NL Correspondent

SRINAGAR: Tasaduq Mufti, who filed the nomination paper from south Kashmir Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday is battling for the history. If he wins the Anantnag seat, it will be for the first time when any political party will be able to retain this parliamentary seat since 1989.

Tasaduq is fighting contesting against the State Congress Chief G A Mir.  The Anantnag Lok Sabha seat fell vacant in June last year, after Mehbooba Mufti won the assembly by-polls, as required by law, to continue as the Chief Minister. The constituency is going to polls on April 12.

If Tasaduq wins the election, it will be first time for the last 28 years that a political party will be able to retain the Anantnag constituency. Tasaduq, a cinematographer by profession joined the PDP on January 7 this year, on the death anniversary of his father and former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.

In 1989 parliamentary polls, PL Handoo of the National Conference candidate emerged winner from the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat.

Although, the parliamentary polls were again held in 1991 across India but could not take place in Kashmir due to volatile situation in the valley.  This had prompted the Centre to promulgate an ordinance to defer elections for these seats.

In 1996 polls, the Janta Dal candidate Muhammad Maqbool Dar emerged winner from this Lok Sabha constituency. Mufti Muhammad Sayeed won the south Kashmir Parliamentary seat in 1998 on the Congress ticket and the polls recorded around 28 percent voter turnout.

In 1999, the Lok Sabha seat of south Kashmir was won by the National Conference candidate Ali Muhammad Naik. The voter turnout stood less than 20 percent. The elections were conducted in backdrop of than National Conference leader Saifuddin Soz, who voted in defiance of the party whip against the BJP-led coalition government during the confidence motion in Lok Sabha. He later joined the Congress party.

Mehbooba Mufti made her maiden entry in the Parliament in 2004, by defeating her rival National Conference candidate, Mehboob Beg by more than 38,000 votes from Anantnag constituency.

While in 2009, the National Conference candidate Mehboob Beg was declared as the winner. He defeated PDP candidate Peer Mohammad Hussain with a mere margin of 5,200 votes. Mehbooba Mufti won the Lok Sabha seat in 2014 by 65417 votes. She defeated the then NC candidate Mehboob Beg, who has now joined the PDP.  The seat fell vacant in June last year after Mehbooba Mufti resigned, when she won the assembly by-polls.

Mir is hopeful of his win from south Kashmir seat.  “We have many issues on which people could judge the Congress and NC candidates. We are hopeful that people will vote in large numbers as the NC and the Congress have given them better choice of candidates and give befitting reply to the PDP candidates,” the Congress leader said.

The PDP leaders are sure of Tasaduq's win. “I am contesting to add new things to the system. I have some ideas to be put in place. It is self-discovery for me,” Tasaduq told media.