Mian Altaf Ahmad is NC's candidate for Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat

The National Conference on Monday named veteran leader Mian Altaf Ahmad as the party's candidate for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir. NC vice president Omar Abdullah made the announcement on behalf of party president Farooq Abdullah in the presence of Ahmad, a party spokesperson said.

"Senior National Conference leader and veteran politician Mian Altaf Ahmed has been nominated as the National Conference candidate for the South Kashmir Pir Panjal parliamentary seat," the spokesperson said.

Omar emphasised Ahmad's widespread popularity across various segments of society and expressed confidence that he would garner substantial support from the people.


The Anantnag constituency, which spreads across the Pir Panjal range to include Rajouri and Poonch areas after the delimitation, will go to polls on May 7 in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.

The notification for the third phase will be issued on April 12 and the last date for filing nominations will be April 19.

The National Conference, which is part of the opposition INDIA bloc, will be contesting three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir Valley.

The PDP -- which is also part of the INDIA alliance -- is likely to field its own candidates for two of the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir but the party has not made a formal announcement so far.