BJP's Surankote candidate Sayed Mushtaq Bukhari dies in Poonch due to cardiac arrest

Bukhari had been unwell for some time and suffered a heart attack at 7 a.m., party leaders said. Bukhari, a two-time MLA from Surankote, joined the BJP in February after the Center granted Scheduled Tribe status to hill communities, of which he was a member and was fielded as the BJP candidate in Surankote in the ongoing Assembly elections on September 25, where the elections were held in the districts.

Bukhari quit the National Assembly after 40 years in 2022 amid a disagreement with party president Farooq Abdullah over the Scheduled Tribe status.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina and leaders of other political parties expressed grief. Raina described Bukhari as a "leader of the people" and said his death "left a void that is very difficult to fill".

Omar Abdullah mourns death of BJP leader 

Jammu and Kashmir National Assembly Vice President Omar Abdullah condoled the death of senior BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari this morning. In a moving statement, Abdullah acknowledged Bukhari’s support for his party and the Pahadis, a move he supported.

"Very sorry to hear about the death of senior BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari earlier today. His death is a loss to his party & the Pahadi people whose cause he pleaded. May Allah grant him place in Jannat. My condolences to his family," Omar wrote on social media.