Farooq Abdullah among 16 candidates in fray from Srinagar

Srinagar, April 9: Union Minister and NC president Farooq Abdullah is among the 16 candidates to have filed nomination papers from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency which is going to polls on April 30. As many as 11 candidates submitted their papers before the election officials today, as the deadline to file nomination ended this afternoon, officials said.

Abdullah, the sitting Lok Sabha MP from the seat, is pitted against Tariq Hamid Karra of opposition People's Democratic Party. Aam Aadmi Party has fielded doctor-turned-RTI activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat, while Awami Ittehad Party has fielded journalist-turned-politician Abdul Rashid Tantray from the seat. While BJP has fielded Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, there are nine Independents in the fray.

Abdullah will take on PDP's Tariq Hamid Karra from this seat on April 30

The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held tomorrow, while April 12 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature. The Srinagar Lok Sabha seat -– spread over three districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam -– has over 12 lakh voters who will exercise their franchise at 1500 polling stations.

PTI