BJP candidate Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari died of a heart attack in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir

BJP candidate Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari died of a heart attack in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir

Former minister and BJP candidate from Surankot, Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari, died after collapsing at his residence in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, party leaders said.


He was 75 years old and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

Bukhari had been ailing for some time and suffered a heart attack at 7 am, leading to his death, a BJP leader said.

Bukhari, a two-time former MLA from Surankot, joined the BJP in February this year after the Center granted Scheduled Tribe status to his hill community.

He was nominated from Surankot, which went to polls on September 25 in the second phase along with 25 other constituencies. Bukhari quit the National Conference in February 2022 after a four-decade-long association with party president Farooq Abdullah over the status of scheduled tribes. .

Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina and leaders of other political parties have expressed grief over Bukhari's death.

"Bukhari was a mass leader and his death has created a vacuum that is very difficult to fill," Raina said.