JAMMU: BJP candidate from Surankote assembly constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari , died after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday morning.
The 75-year-old two-time former MLA from Surankote in Poonch district had been ill for some time and collapsed at his residence around 7 am. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
The Surankote constituency went to polls in the second phase on Sept 25.
A prominent Pahari leader , Bukhari was associated with National Conference for more than four decades, before he quit the party in Feb 2022 due to differences with its leadership over scheduled tribe (ST) status for his community.
In Feb this year, he joined BJP, giving the party a major boost ahead of Lok Sabha elections, following the Centre’s decision to add Pahari ethnic tribe, along with three other communities --- Paddaris, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins --- in J&K’s ST list. A bill to this effect passed in the Lok Sabha during the budget session enabled 10% reservation under the ST category, along with other benefits, for these communities.
His sudden death is a setback for BJP, as Bukhari was also a revered spiritual leader known as “peer sahab” among the locals, and wielded significant influence in the Pahari community, which numbers around 12.5 lakh across Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara districts.
LG Manoj Sinha, BJP state chief Ravinder Raina, and former chief ministers Omar Abdullah of NC and Mehbooba Mufti of PDP, among others, expressed grief over Bukhari’s death.
In a post on X, Sinha said the Pahari leader “will be remembered for his commitment to the welfare of people and uplift of weaker sections of society”, while Raina termed it “an irreparable loss for the whole society in Rajouri & Poonch”.
The 75-year-old two-time former MLA from Surankote in Poonch district had been ill for some time and collapsed at his residence around 7 am. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
The Surankote constituency went to polls in the second phase on Sept 25.
A prominent Pahari leader , Bukhari was associated with National Conference for more than four decades, before he quit the party in Feb 2022 due to differences with its leadership over scheduled tribe (ST) status for his community.
In Feb this year, he joined BJP, giving the party a major boost ahead of Lok Sabha elections, following the Centre’s decision to add Pahari ethnic tribe, along with three other communities --- Paddaris, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins --- in J&K’s ST list. A bill to this effect passed in the Lok Sabha during the budget session enabled 10% reservation under the ST category, along with other benefits, for these communities.
His sudden death is a setback for BJP, as Bukhari was also a revered spiritual leader known as “peer sahab” among the locals, and wielded significant influence in the Pahari community, which numbers around 12.5 lakh across Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara districts.
LG Manoj Sinha, BJP state chief Ravinder Raina, and former chief ministers Omar Abdullah of NC and Mehbooba Mufti of PDP, among others, expressed grief over Bukhari’s death.
In a post on X, Sinha said the Pahari leader “will be remembered for his commitment to the welfare of people and uplift of weaker sections of society”, while Raina termed it “an irreparable loss for the whole society in Rajouri & Poonch”.
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