Jammu: The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit on Saturday assigned key responsibilities to several of its MLAs to strengthen the party’s organizational structures and legislative functioning in the assembly. BJP vice-president and Samba MLA Surjit Singh Salathia and Udhampur West MLA Pawan Gupta have been nominated as the deputy leaders of the opposition, while Jasrota MLA Rajiv Jasrotia has been nominated as the party's chief whip, said a BJP spokesperson. BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Sat Sharma made the nominations in consultation with party's national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, party's general secretary (organization) B L Santhosh and party's national general secretary and in-charge for J&K Tarun Chugh, he added.
Suchetgarh MLA Gharu Ram Bhagat and Jammu East MLA Yudhvir Sethi have been nominated as the whips of the party, while Bahu MLA Choudhary Vikram Randhawa has been nominated as the secretary, the spokesperson said. Jammu West MLA Arvind Gupta has been nominated as the treasurer, while Chenani MLA Balwant Mankotia and Doda West MLA Shakti Raj Parihar have been nominated as the spokespersons, he added. The BJP spokesperson said “these appointments reflect the party’s commitment to empowering its legislative team and ensuring effective representation of public interests in the assembly”. “The BJP continues to strive for responsive, accountable and development-oriented governance in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added. Meanwhile, Jasrotia expressed gratitude to the BJP's leadership for his appointment and said that he would uphold the party's core principles and ideology. “As the chief whip, I will ensure party discipline and cohesion within the legislative assembly and that party members adhere to the party's whip and voting instructions,” he said. The former minister pledged to highlight pressing public issues in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, ensuring the government remains accountable and remind them of their electoral promises. Jasrotia also vowed to address genuine concerns of all societal sections amicably. The BJP continues to strive for responsive, accountable and development-oriented governance in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.