Ahead of Jammu and Kashmir election poll results, Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, the BJP candidate for the Surankote constituency died on Wednesday morning. He was 75.
Bukhari has been unwell due to prolonged illness for some time and as per the reports, he suffered a heart attack around 7 am, leading to his death. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
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BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir chief Ravinder Raina shared the news about his death on X. “Shocked & deeply pained to hear about the demise of a Political Stalwart and BJP Candidate from Surankote Assembly Constituency Jenab #Sayeed Mushtaq Bukhari Sahib. This is an irreparable loss of whole of the society in Rajouri & Poonch. I express my heartfelt condolences,” Raina tweeted.
Shocked & deeply pained to hear about the demise of a Political Stalwart and BJP Candidate from Surankote Assembly Constituency Jenab #Sayeed_Mushtaq_Bukhari Sahib. This is an irreparable loss of whole of the society in Rajouri & Poonch. I express my heartfelt condolences. pic.twitter.com/Q92v1CZ503
— Ravinder Raina (@RavinderRaina) October 2, 2024
Bukhari is a well-known and respected spiritual leader among the Pahari Muslims, who used to call him “peer sahab”. Former National Conference (NC) leader joined the BJP February this year after the latter granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari community. He had to break off his decades-long association with the NC over a disagreement with the party chief Farooq Abdullah over ST status to Pahari-speaking people.
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The Surankote Assembly constituency went to polls on September 25, in the second phase of assembly elections. The three-legged elections concluded on October 1 and results will be declared on October 8.