TNFNew Delhi/TNF
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its first list of 16 candidates for the upcoming Jammu-Kashmir Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in three phases. The first phase will cover South Kashmir’s 16 constituencies and 8 constituencies in Jammu, with voting set for September 18.
The initial list, released on August 26, includes 15 candidates, with an additional name announced shortly afterward in a second list. Earlier, the party had released a preliminary list of 44 candidates for all three phases, including 10 for the second phase and 19 for the third phase. However, these lists were later withdrawn, leading to the current list of 15 candidates for the first phase.
Protests erupted at the Jammu party office regarding the withdrawn list, with some party workers accusing the party of favoring “parachute candidates” over dedicated workers. Despite the discontent, Jammu-Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina dismissed these concerns.
Among the 16 candidates for the first phase are three former MLAs and Shagun Parihar, a woman candidate whose father and uncle were killed by terrorists in 2018. The revised list, which replaced the initial one, now includes candidates from Jammu and Kashmir’s diverse regions.
In Jammu’s Chenab Valley, the BJP has fielded former ministers Sunil Sharma (Padar-Nagseeni) and Shakti Raj Parihar (Doda West), former MLA Dalip Singh Parihar (Bhaderwah), and Shagun Parihar (Kishtwar). Other candidates include Tariq Keen (Inderwal), Gajay Singh Rana (Doda), Rakesh Thakur (Ramban), and Saleem Bhat (Banihal). Notably, Neelam Kumar Langeh, who won the Ramban constituency in 2014, did not receive a ticket this time.
In the Kashmir Valley, the BJP has nominated Sofi Yusuf (Shri Gufwara-Bijbehara), Syed Shaukat Gayoor Andrabi (Pampore), Arshid Bhat (Rajpora), Javed Ahmed Qadri (Shopian), Mohammad Rafiq Wani (Anantnag West), Syed Wajahat (Anantnag), Veer Sarraf (Shangus Anantnag East), and Chaudhary Roshan Hussain Gujjar (Kokernag-Azja).
The Jammu-Kashmir Assembly elections will occur in three phases: September 18 for the first phase, September 25 for the second phase, and October 1 for the third phase, with vote counting on October 4.
To lead the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head the BJP’s efforts. The party has also included Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President J.P. Nadda, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath among the 40 star campaigners. Other notable figures include Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Manohar Lal Khattar, G. Kishan Reddy, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Jitendra Singh, as well as former ministers Anurag Thakur and Smriti Irani, and retired General V.K. Singh.
Additionally, the campaign will feature Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, former BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, and the party’s Jammu-Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh. BJP Jammu-Kashmir President Ravinder Raina, MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, Rajya Sabha member Ghulam Ali Khatana, and General Secretary (Organization) Ashok Kaul will also be involved.
