J&K Assembly Election 2024: Five Heavyweight Candidates To Watch Out For

Sajjad Gani Lone, chairperson of the People’s Conference (PC), is set to run in the assembly elections from two constituencies in Kupwara district, North Kashmir—the only seats his party secured in the 2014 assembly elections.

The PDP is relying on Iltija Mufti, daughter of the party's chief Mehbooba Mufti and a third-generation family member, to hold onto the Srigufwara-Bijbehara Assembly seat—a PDP stronghold since 1996. This seat, previously known as Bijbehara before the 2022 delimitation, will see its polls in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on September 18.

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah is contesting from his familial stronghold of Ganderbal. The ex-Chief Minister of J&K is up against seven independents, following his defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections to AIP's Engineer Rashid from the Baramulla constituency.

The BJP has nominated Devender Singh Rana for the Nagrota constituency, his stronghold. Rana, a three-time legislator, is reputed for his humble and approachable nature, earning him widespread popularity as a mass leader throughout Jammu and Kashmir.

National Conference announced Mian Altaf, a distinguished tribal leader, as its candidate for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, which spans the Pir Panchal range. Altaf and his family hold significant political and spiritual sway over the tribal populace in J&K. His family boasts a record of nine assembly victories since 1967, including his own five wins since 1987.