Sun Oct 19 18:19:20 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text, designed to feel like a report from “The Hindu”:
The Hindu: Shia Clergy Dominate Budgam By-Poll Slate in Jammu and Kashmir
Srinagar, October 19, 2025 – The upcoming Assembly by-polls in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, are set to witness a unique electoral contest, with all three major political parties fielding candidates from within the Shia clergy. The National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have each nominated prominent religious figures for the vacant seat.
The National Conference has announced Agha Syed Mehmood, son of renowned Shia cleric Syed Yousuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi, as their candidate. Agha Syed Mehmood’s father founded the influential Anjuman-e-Sharie organization.
The PDP has put forward Agha Syed Muntazir Mehdi, the son of Shia cleric Agha Syed Hassan, who is also a Hurriyat leader. A PDP spokesman confirmed that Mr. Mehdi will file his nomination papers tomorrow.
The BJP has already nominated Agha Syed Mohsin, also the son of a Shia cleric. The BJP stated that Mr. Mohsin will be accompanied by senior party leaders, including the Leader of Opposition and MLA Sunil Sharma, when he files his nomination.
This marks the first time that the Budgam constituency, which has a significant Shia population, will see such widespread representation from the Shia religious community. The seat became available after former NC leader Omar Abdullah chose to retain the Ganderbal seat, which he also won in the 2024 Assembly elections.
The Budgam by-polls are scheduled for November 11th, and the election is expected to be closely watched, given the unique demographic makeup of the candidates.
First Piper 