A panchayat building in Budgam district was set on fire last week. (Photo: Shuaib Masoodi) A panchayat building in Budgam district was set on fire last week. (Photo: Shuaib Masoodi)

Unidentified men set on fire the paddy crop of a civic poll candidate in South Kashmir’s Dooru Verinag area on Wednesday night. Gul Mohammed Khan, a BJP candidate, is one of the 30 contestants whose details were recently released on social media by accounts associated with Hizbul Mujahideen.

Meanwhile, petrol was thrown at the Srinagar residence of another BJP candidate. Showkat Raja from Gojwara area of the Old City told The Indian Express, “The gate of our house caught fire, but it was immediately doused. There was no major damage because they put patrol on our gate.”

BJP’s Verinag constituency president Ghulam Hassan Bhat on Thursday said he had resigned from the party membership and withdrawn his candidature for civic polls. He said he was quitting because the “party is deceiving people by fake promises”.

READ | J&K local body polls: Names of 30 Congress, BJP candidates leaked online

“After paddy belonging to a candidate in Dooru was set on fire on Wednesday evening, I informed my organisation to help provide security. But no action was taken and no support provided,” Bhat told The Indian Express. He added that several other party candidates had withdrawn their nominations for elections to the Dooru Verinag Municipal Committee.

The four-phase local body elections begin on October 8.

Senior police officers in Srinagar confirmed that petrol was thrown at the main gate of Raja’s house, and a case has been registered. Raja is contesting from a ward in the city.

PTI reported that two other candidates have also withdrawn from the fray: Mohammad Maqbool Mir, who was the Congress candidate for Hajin Municipal Committee in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district; and Mehrajuddin Raina, BJP candidate for a ward in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

BJP releases manifesto

Srinagar: Days ahead of the urban local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the state unit of the BJP on Thursday released its manifesto for the polls. The four-phase polls are scheduled to commence from October 8 in the state.

The 15-point manifesto for the local polls talks about issues like restoration of Dal Lake, sanitation, prevention of vector-borne diseases and improving healthcare by opening evening clinics.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, BJP leaders said that their priority will be to develop districts through municipal committees and corporations.—ENS

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.