Lok Sabha by-poll: Mehbooba Mufti's brother to contest from Anantnag constituency

Srinagar: On expected lines, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, the cinematographer brother of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, will contest the Lok Sabha by-poll from home constituency Anantnag as the ruling People’s Democratic Party nominee, sources said on Tuesday. The PDP has decided to field Nazir Ahmed Khan who recently quit Congress to join the party from Srinagar.

While voting for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat is scheduled for April 9, that for the Anantnag seat will be held on April 12.

Tassaduq, 45 an American Film Institute graduate, who has worked on movies like Omkara and Kaminey, had earlier attended a meeting of the PDP’s extended core group in January 2016, giving credence to reports that he has been successfully persuaded by the family to join active politics. However, it took him almost one year to do it as he was waiting for the completion of a couple of Bollywood projects he was associated with.

Meanwhile, Mr. Khan had lost narrowly to then Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah in the Assembly elections from Beerwa segment is likely to face Farooq Abdullah, a stalwart in Kashmir politics and a three-time Chief Minister in the race. The other choice before the NC is senior Abdullah’s brother Sheikh Mustafa Kamal.

Farooq Abdullah, the NC president, has also been authorised to take a final call on the issue of the NC forging an alliance with the Congress to contest the upcoming by-polls. However, sources in both these parties said that the two sides have in- principle agreed to leave Srinagar for the NC and Anantnag for Congress. J&K PCC chief Gulam Ahmed Mir may contest from Anantnag.