Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Polls: From Sajad Lone to Lal Singh – 5 heavyweights in the fray in last voting leg today

The third and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections is being held in 40 seats across seven districts today, October 1. As many as 415 candidates are vying for the 40 seats in this phase with about 3.9 million voters eligible to cast their franchise.

The polling that began in 5,060 polling stations at 7 am will continue till 6 pm, the Election Commission of India said. Of the 40 seats going to polls today, 16 are in the Kashmir region while 24 fall in the Jammu region of the erstwhile state.

Jammu and Kashmir is holding its first assembly elections in a decade to elect a government after over six years of Central rule. This is also the first assembly election exercise being held after scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019.

The first phase of elections held on September 18 saw 61 per cent voter turnout. The approximate voter turnout for all 26 seats spread across 6 districts was 57.3 per cent. according to the poll panel. The results of all three phases will be declared on October 8.

Here is a list of some of the key candidates whose electoral fates will be sealed in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the final phase of Jammu and Kashmir elections today.

1- Tara Chand, Congress, Chhamb

Former deputy chief minister and Congress leader Tara Chand is up against Bhartiya Janata Party’s Rajeev Sharma, rebel Congress candidate Satish Sharma, and rebel BJP candidate Narendra Singh in what is seen as a four-cornered fight in Chhamb assembly seat in Jammu district

Tara Chand, 61, won the Chhamb seat twice in 2002 and 2008 but lost to the BJP in 2014. The Congress party won the Chhamb Assembly seat seven out the past nine elections.

Tara Chand has served as Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, Deputy Chief Minister, and Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly under the governments led by Chief Ministers Mufti Sayeed and Omar Abdullah.

2- Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Independent, Baramulla

Seventy-eight-year old Muzaffar Hussain Baig is contesting is an independent candidate from Baramulla seat in north Kashmir voting today. Baig, who was among the founding members of People's Democratic Party (PDP), quit the party after Article 370 abrogation in 2019.

Baig, the former deputy chief minister, had won the seat in 2002 and 2008 as a PDP candidate. Baig is up against his nephew Javid Hassan Baig who is contesting on National Conference ticket. Javid won the seat in 2014 as a PDP candidate.

3- Sajad Lone, PC, Handwara and Kupwara

People’s Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone is contesting from two seats – Handwara and Kupwara – in today's election.

In Handwara seat, Lone is facing the veteran NC leader Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, who has won the seat four times. PDP's Gauhar Azad Mir, BJP's Ghulam Mohammad Mir and Abdul Majid Banday of Awami Ittehad Party

In Kupwara seat, Lone faces Nasir Aslam Wani of the NC, Fayaz Mir of PDP and Peerzada Firdous of Awami Ittehad Party. In 2014, Lone's party colleague Bashir Ahmad Dar won Kupwara seat.

4- Choudhary Lal Singh, Congress, Basohli

Choudhary Lal Singh, a three-time MLA and two-time MP, is the Congress candidate from the Basohli assembly constituency in the Kathua district of Jammu. Basholi has sent Lal Singh and his wife, Kanta Andotra, to Jammu and Kashmir Assembly four times out of the nine elections held so far. The Congress has won the seat seven times.

This time Lal Singh is involved in a four-way contest with BJP’s Darshan Kumar, PDP’s Yoginder Singh, and BSP’s Pankaj Kumar. Lal Singh won Basohli assembly seat in 2014 on a BJP ticket.

Lal Singh has lost three consecutive Lok Sabha elections from Udhampur seat to Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh in 2014, 2019, and 2024.

Former BJP leader Lal Singhhad questioned the police investigation of the Kathua gang rape case and declared the heinous crime as a conspiracy attempt against Hindus. A minister in the then PDP-BJP coalition government in J&K, Lal Singh held a Tiranga rally in 2018 in support of the accused in the Kathua rape case.

5- Devender Singh Rana, BJP, Nagrota

Devender Singh Rana, brother of the Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh Rana, is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Hindu majority Nagrota assembly constituency in Jammu. Rana, 59, won the seat in 2014 but on an NC ticket. The BJP won the seat in 2002 and 2008.

Once a close confidante of NC vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Rana faces Joginder Singh, alias Kaku, of the NC, Balbir Singh of the Congress and Shak Mohammad of the BSP in the election being held today. The Congress and the NC are in a ‘friendly’ fight on this seat.

Rana is also the richest candidate in the fray in the final phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir.