NVI Correspondent
Jammu, October 02(NVI): Senior Politician from Jammu region Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, who contested the just concluded Assembly polls on BJP ticket from Surankote, passed away today. He was 75.
BJP leaders told NVI that Bukhari developed some complicacies at his home and breathed his last today early morning. He was given ticket by BJP on Surankote seat reserved for Scheduled Tribe.
The deceased was a two-time former legislator from Surankote and Poonch. He was one of the close confidants of National Conference chief Dr Farooq Abdullah till he joined BJP.
Now that Bukhari has contested from the Surankote Assembly seat and BJP claims that they have won it. Election rules suggest that the seat will witness re-poll if Bukhari emerges victorious. If he looses, there is no need for re-election of the seat.
According to the rules of the Election Commission, if the voting process has been completed on a seat and after that a candidate dies, then the results of the election will be awaited. If the other candidate wins after the counting of votes, there will be no need for re-election.
This means, if deceased Bukhari wins the election on October 8, the day of counting of votes, then the election for Surankote seat will be cancelled. “There will be a need for re-voting or by-election on this seat as the elected candidate would not be present to represent the constituency. Under Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, elections will have to be held on this seat within 6 months,” read the Election rules. (News Vibes of India)
