Srinagar: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) headed by former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday announced the list of candidates for the first phase of Assembly elections in J&K. 

The list of candidates includes 13 candidates namely former minister, Abdul Majeed Wani for Doda East assembly constituency and former MLA, Mohd Amin Bhat for Devsar, Mohd Aslam Goni for Bhaderwah, Advocate Saleem Parray for Doru, Muneer Ahmad Mir for Lolab. 

Others figuring in the list of candidates are Bilal Ahmad Deva for Anantnag West, Ghulam Nabi Wani for Rajpora, Mir Altaf Hussain for Anantnag, Qaiser Sultan Ganai for Ganderbal, Gulam Nabi Bhat for Eidgah, Amir Ahmad Bhat for Khanyar, Nisar Ahmad Lone for Gurez and Peer Bilal Ahmad for Hazratbal. 

DPAP candidate, G.M. Saroori fought the Lok Sabha election unsuccessfully from Kathua-Udhampur constituency which was won for the third consecutive term by Dr Jitendra Singh of the BJP. 

In another jolt to the DPAP, senior leader, Taj Mohiuddin recently resigned from the party to rejoin the Congress. Taj had left the Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad who later formed his own party, the DPAP. 

In the Lok Sabha elections, DPAP supported Mohammad Ashraf Mir of J&K Apni Party for the Srinagar seat and Sajad Gani Lone of the People’s Conference (PC) for the Baramulla seat. 

Both Mir and Sajad lost the Lok Sabha elections in the Valley. 

Despite his popularity in the Chenab Valley region, Azad has so far failed to catch the imagination of the voters in the Valley. 

(IANS)