Srinagar: Murtaza Khan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Mendhar Assembly constituency in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) Assembly elections, held a roadshow on Thursday. The Mendhar constituency is set to vote in the second phase of the assembly elections on September 25.

Khan's roadshow marked his first visit to the constituency since his candidature was announced by the BJP earlier this week. Speaking to ANI, Khan expressed confidence in the election campaign, stating, "Today is the first time I visited the constituency after the declaration of my candidature. The way this election campaign has started indicates that the election journey would not be difficult. Youth and elderly will be joining our campaign, and we will achieve success."

Khan also criticized the pre-poll alliance between the National Conference (NC) and Congress, claiming, "The alliance will not stand...NC's manifesto mentions that they will revisit the existing reservation policy. They want to disturb the existing reservation policy."

In related news, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the notification for filing nomination papers for the second phase of the assembly elections in J-K on Thursday. The second phase will cover 26 assembly constituencies. The last date for filing nominations is September 5, with scrutiny scheduled for September 6 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures set for September 9. Voting will take place from 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and counting is slated for October 4.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, the PDP secured 28 seats, the BJP won 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15, and the Congress secured 12 seats. The PDP and BJP initially formed a coalition government under Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, but the BJP withdrew from the alliance in 2018 following the death of Mufti Mohammad and Mehbooba Mufti's subsequent leadership.

The upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir are expected to be multi-cornered, marking the first assembly poll since the abrogation of Article 370. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won both seats in Jammu, while the National Conference secured two seats.

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