Picture: Jehangeer Shah

Srinagar:: Election Commission of India on Thursday issued notification for the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in Kashmir’s Anantnag Parliamentary constituency. Anantnag constituency has already made a record of being longest delayed by-poll since 1996.

The constituency was vacated by Mehbooba Mufti in June 2016 to become the chief minister following her father and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s death.  No by-poll could be held for the constituency and it surpassed the record in Manipur in 1998-99 when the 60-Singhat legislative assembly constituency was vacant for over a year due to a “poor law and order situation.”

The Anantnag by-polls were delayed twice in 2017, first time in April and then in May, after eight people were killed during the election to bypoll for Srinagar.

According to CEI notification, the last date for filing of nominations for Anantnag is April 4, while scrutiny of nominations will be held on April 5. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 8. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference’s Justice (Retd) Hasnain Massodi would be main contestants in constituency where elections are held in three phases. (