4 of 7 Independent legislators likely to lend support to National Conference

With the National Conference-Congress alliance set to form government in Jammu and Kashmir after winning the polls, four of the seven Independent MLAs are planning to back the Farooq Abdullah-led party thus, raising its seats in the Assembly.

NC has won 42 seats whereas seven Independent MLAs have also clinched victory in the recently concluded elections. Four of these seven Independents were earlier associated with NC and are likely to support the party.

The seven Independent MLAs include Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh from Langate, Shabir Ahmad Kullay from Shopian, Pyare Lal Sharma from Inderwal, Dr Rameshwar Singh from Bani, Satish Sharma from Chhamb, Muzzafar Iqbal Khan from Thannamandi and Choudhary Mohammad Akram from Surankote.

Out of these winners, Kullay, Sharma, Khan and Akram were earlier associated with the NC and might join the party again in the coming days.

Kullay got 14,113 votes and was able to defeat NC candidate Sheikh Mohammad Rafi who got 12,906 votes. On the other hand, Pyare Lal Sharma defeated a prominent independent candidate Ghulam Mohammad Saroori by a margin of 643 votes.

Muzaffar Iqbal Khan from ST reserved Thannamandi got 32,645 votes, defeating BJP’s Mohamad Iqbal Malik, a prominent face in the region. Meanwhile, Choudhary Mohammed Akram got 34,201 votes and defeated prominent Congress leader Mohd Shahnawaz from ST reserved Surankote seat.

Pyare Lal Sharma had quit NC after it formed an alliance with the Congress for the polls and decided to contest as an Independent. Muzaffar Iqbal Khan had also resigned from the party in August.

Choudhary Mohammad Akram, who had won the 2014 Assembly polls as a Congress candidate had joined NC later. He, however, left the party after he was denied the ticket for the recent polls.

‘Homecoming’

• Four of the seven Independent MLAs were earlier associated with NC
• They include Shabir Ahmad Kullay from Shopian, Pyare Lal Sharma from Inderwal, Satish Sharma from Chhamb and Choudhary Mohammad Akram from Surankote
• Pyare Lal Sharma, Khan and Akram had recently left the party after being denied ticket for the Assembly polls