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Jammu and Kashmir assembly election: Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra wins from Central Shalteng by 14,395 votes
Tariq Hameed Karra had previously won from this constituency in 2002 as a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Former Lok Sabha MP and Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra won from the Central Shalteng assembly constituency in Central Kashmir.
Karra had previously won from this constituency in 2002 as a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This time, he was supported by the National Conference as part of a seat-sharing agreement in the Union Territory.
In 2008, the seat was won by Shah, contesting on a National Conference ticket, and in 2014, PDP’s Noor Mohammad Sheikh secured the segment.
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About Central Shalteng:
Central Shalteng went to the polls in the second phase of elections on September 25, when voters across 26 assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir cast their ballots.
Highlighting the importance of Central Shalteng for the Congress, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, addressed a rally at Zainakote, attended by hundreds of Congress supporters.
Gandhi sought votes for Karra, praising him for joining the party at a critical time. “When leaders were leaving Congress, Karra joined us,” Rahul had said.
Karra, elected MP in 2014 on a PDP ticket from Srinagar, left the party when it allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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Coming from an old political family, Karra was one of the founding members of the PDP and a close associate of the late chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
However, after joining Congress, he quickly rose to the top post in the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit just before the assembly elections.
Karra joined the Indian National Congress in February 2017 and became the first politician from Kashmir Valley to be nominated to the Congress Working Committee. He has also held key positions in the Jammu and Kashmir government, serving as the Finance, Planning, and Law Minister.
