Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, a 75-year-old politician and BJP candidate for Surankote in the Poonch district, passed away at his residence in Pamrote on Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
Bukhari was fielded by the BJP to contest from Surankote, a Scheduled Tribe reserved constituency in the Jammu region.
Bukhari had previously served as a two-time legislator from Surankote and was once a trusted ally of National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
However, he parted ways with the National Conference in February 2022 after a disagreement over granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Pahari community.
Political leaders, including Senior PDP Leader Advocate Nadeem Rafiq Hussain Khan, expressed their condolences over Bukhari’s demise.