Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari died on Wednesday morning in Surankote, Poonch after prolonged illness. He was 75 years old and suffered a heart attack at around 7 in the morning. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. Bukhari was the BJP candidate from Constituency 88, and his death came a day after the third and final phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Many leaders have expressed grief over his demise.
Former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta expressed condolences on Bukhari’s sudden demise on social media. He wrote, “I am saddened by the demise of BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari.”
BJP Jammu and Kashmir President Ravinder Raina also said in a post, “I am shocked and saddened to hear the news of the demise of Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, BJP candidate from Surankote assembly constituency. This is an irreparable loss to the society of Rajouri and Poonch.”
Mushtaq Bukhari, a senior National Conference (NC) leader and two-time MLA from Surankote, had distanced himself from the nearly four-decade-old party following differences with Dr Farooq Abdullah over the issue of granting ST status to the hill community. . He had joined the BJP in February this year after the Center granted Scheduled Tribe status to the Hills. Bukhari was considered a respected spiritual leader among the hill Muslims, known as “Pir Sahib”.
Voting was held on September 25 in Rajouri and Poonch districts under Surankote assembly constituency, which is located in the Pir Panjal region. Elections are going on in three phases in Jammu and Kashmir, which will end on October 1, and the counting of votes will take place on October 8.
