Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Batamaloo MLA, Noor Mohammad Sheikh, who recently stepped down from the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, announced that he will contest the upcoming J&K Assembly elections as an independent candidate from the central Shalteng constituency.
Sheikh's decision to run independently follows consultations with his supporters, who he says have encouraged him to pursue this path. "After thoughtful discussions with my supporters, I have decided to contest the polls as an independent candidate," Sheikh confirmed to ETV Bharat today.
Speculation had been rife that Sheikh might join the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by Er. Rasheed, particularly after reports surfaced that AIP leaders had reached out to him. However, Sheikh acknowledged that while the AIP leadership did approach him, he ultimately chose to run without party affiliation, citing his commitment to independent representation.
Noor Mohammad Sheikh previously won the 2014 assembly elections representing the People's Democratic Party (PDP). However, he resigned from the PDP following the BJP-led central government's abrogation of Article 370, a move that altered the region's special status under the Indian constitution. Sheikh later joined the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party but on August 5,this year, distanced himself from all party affiliations to contest the elections independently.
The much anticipated assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held after a gap of a decade and for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, on August 5, 2019.
