Abdul Rehman told The Indian Express that he was preparing to leave his Srinagar home for Anantnag, 55 km away, to file his papers when he learnt that his seven-year old son Ulfat had been abducted. Friday was the last day for the BJP to nominate a new candidate after Noorani's death.

When Rehman did not make it to Anantnag after the kidnapping, a third candidate, Showkat Hussain Wani filed his papers. The BJP however has to officially endorse him as party nominee by September 20 for his papers to be declared valid.

The car-borne gunmen asked Ulfat's sister, who was walking with him to their school, to tell her father not to file his papers and pay up a Rs five lakh ransom. The nine-year old girl wasalso warned that Rehman should not inform the police.

Rehman said he suspected that renegade militants had carried out the kidnapping, and blamed the rivalry within the BJP's State unit for the episode.

Wani is a Secretary in the party's State unit and had contested the 1998 elections from the same constituency. There was much confusion about his nomination, with some reports saying the party had picked a Jammu leader to file his papers from Anantnag. But apart from Wani, no other candidate filed his nomination on Friday.

The Lok Sabha elections in Anantnag were due to take place on Saturday, when Baramulla too goes to the polls. But after Noorani's assasination, the Election Commission postponed it to October 4. The BJP was given time till Friday for a candidate to file papers.

According to Rehman, the two children were walking to their school in Parimpora on the outskirts of Srinagar at around 8.15 am when a white Maruti car stopped near them. It had no number-plates.

Four men, carrying pistols,pulled Ulfat inside after delivering the warning. Rehman said he never went to the police, but someone who watched the scene apparently tipped them off.

Senior Superintendent of Police Niyaz Mehmood said Rehman refused to lodge a first information report when the police visited his home. The police met him again after the report about the kidnapping reached Delhi. Rehman, however, kept telling them that people in his party were responsible, and Ulfat would be returned.

Another officer said Rehman also maintained that Ulfat may have gone to a relative's place and might return home on his own. The police, however, took cognizance of the abduction on its own and registered an FIR.

Rehman told The Indian Express that he was waiting by the phone to hear from the kidnappers.

Rehman felt it was not possible for militants, unless they were pro-government renegades, to sneak into the area because of the security presence. He implied that the militants were working for his rivals within the party, whowanted the Anantnag ticket to go to their camp.