Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addresses at Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Srinagar on May 28, 2016. (Photo: IANS)
Srinagar, May 31 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will file papers for Anantnag assembly constituency by-poll on Wednesday.
The seat fell vacant following death of sitting member and Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on January 7.
Mehbooba Mufti, who is the MP from Anantnag, is at present not a member of either house of the state legislature and has to become one, within six months of being sworn-in.
The National Conference has fielded Iftikhar Misgar, while the Congress has fielded Hilal Shah for the June 19 bypoll.
In a new twist, Independent legislator Engineer Rashid, who represents Langate, announced he would also stand against Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag.
In the 2014 elections, Sayeed had defeated Misgar by 6,000 votes while Shah finished third.
Mehbooba Mufti has so far been elected to the state assembly thrice - in 1996 from Bijbehara, in 2002 from Pahalgam and in 2008 from Wachi. In her 26-year long political career, she has never lost any assembly election.
