BJP's J&K candidate Mushtaq Ahmad Shah Bukhari dies of heart attack

Bukhari died at his house at Pamrote in Surankote sub division of Poonch district around 7am. “He had a heart ailment and had stents implanted. For the past couple of days, he had been on oxygen support,” family sources said.

This time, Bukhari, a two-time MLA from Surankote, was fielded by the BJP from the assembly constituency that is reserved for a candidate from the Scheduled Tribes.

Once a confidant of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Bukhari fell out with him over the delay in granting ST status to the Pahari community. After a four-decade association with the National Conference, he quit the party in 2022 and joined the BJP in February 2024.