Peerzada Sayeed
KARNAH: On the final day for withdrawing nomination papers for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, three independent candidates from the Karnah constituency pulled out of the race. This brings the number of candidates contesting from Karnah down to eight, shaping the electoral landscape for a tight battle.
Initially, 12 candidates had submitted nomination forms for the Karnah seat, but after scrutiny, one candidate, Shafiq Ahmad Khan, was disqualified, leaving 11 in the race. Today, three more candidates, **Advocate Sheikh Manzoor**, **Syed Idrees**, and **Manzoor Wani**, formally withdrew their candidacies.
The eight remaining candidates are:
1. **Mohd Idrees Karbnahi** (Bhartiya Janta Party – BJP)
2. **Dr. Naseer Ahmad Awan** (People’s Conference)
3. **Adv. Raja Manzoor** (Apni Party)
4. **Javid Mirchal** (National Conference)
5. **Firdous Ahmad** (PDP)
6. **Fayaz Karnahi** (Awami Itehad Party)
7. **Sajid Ahmad Mir** (Bhim Sena Party)
8. **Shahjawal Shah** (Samajwadi Party)
While addressing the media, **Sheikh Manzoor**, a former Deputy Advocate General and Senior Advocate at the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, announced his withdrawal in favor of the National Conference, throwing his support behind **Javid Mirchal**. **Manzoor Wani** expressed uncertainty about which party he will support going forward, while **Syed Idrees** confirmed he would support **Engineer Rashid**.
With key candidates from major parties like the BJP, National Conference, and People’s Conference now left in the fray, the Karnah constituency is set for a highly competitive election.
