BJP names 29 more candidates for J&K Assembly polls; Congress releases list of nine candidates
Jammu: As Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first Assembly elections since becoming a Union Territory in 2019, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and
the Congress have released their candidate lists, marking a crucial step in the electoral race.
The BJP, despite facing some internal dissent, has announced candidates for 45 out of 90 Assembly segments, including nine in the Kashmir Valley where the party has historically struggled to gain a foothold. The party’s revised list of 29 candidates for the second and third phases largely maintains its previous selections, with only one change: former MLA Baldev Raj Sharma replacing Rohit Dubey for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat. The party’s latest list has 10 candidates for the second phase of polls and 19 for the third phase.
Notable BJP candidates include Devender Singh Rana from Nagrota, a former National Conference member who joined the BJP three years ago. The party has also fielded former ministers Chandra Prakash
Ganga from Vijapur and Sham Lal Sharma from Jammu North. Interestingly, the BJP has yet to name candidates for Nowshera and Gandhinagar, previously held by current state president Ravinder Raina and former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta, respectively.
The party has fielded Satish Sharma from Billawar, previously represented by former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh. The BJP has also nominated Pawan Gupta (Udhampur West), Jeevan Lal (Bani), Rajeev Sharma (Chhamb), Rajiv Jasrotia (Jasrota), Gharu Ram Bhagat (Suchetgarh-SC), and Devinder Kumar Maniyal (Ramgarh-SC).
New candidates include Sunil Bhardwaj (Ramnagar SC), Ashok Bhat (Habbakadal), Kuldeep Raj Dubey (Reasi), Thakur Randhir Singh (Kalakote-Sunderbani), Vijay Kumar Sharma (Hiranagar), Darshan Singh (Basohli), and Mohammad Akram Choudhary (Gulabgarh-ST).
Senior BJP leader Narinder Singh Raina will contest from R S Pura-Jammu South, with Yudhvir Sethi (Jammu East) and Arvind Gupta (Jammu West) also on the list. Former minister Surjit Singh Slathia is running from Samba.
Chowdhary Zulfikar Ali will run from Budhal (ST), Balwant Singh Mankotia from Chenani, and Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari from Surankote. Mohd Iqbal Malik will be the candidate for Thanamandi. New entrants Mohan Lal Bhagat, Murtaza Khan, and Choudhary Abdul Gani will contest from Akhnoor-SC, Mendhar-ST, and Poonch-Haveli, respectively.
The party’s selection process has not been without controversy. A group of women BJP workers from Ramnagar constituency protested outside the party headquarters in Jammu, expressing disappointment over the lack of female representation. The BJP has fielded only one woman candidate so far, from the Kishtwar constituency.
Meanwhile, the Congress party has released its first list of nine candidates, following a seat-sharing agreement with its ally, the National Conference (NC). According to the deal, the NC will contest 51 seats, while the Congress will field candidates in 32 constituencies. The CPI(M) and Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) have been allotted one seat each, with a “friendly contest” planned for five seats.
Key Congress candidates include party general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Dooru and former state unit chief Vikar Rasool Wani from Banihal.
The party also fielded Surinder Singh Channi from the Tral seat, Amanullah Mantoo from Devsar, Peerzada Mohammad Syed from Anantnag, Shaikh Zafarullah from Inderwal, Nadeem Sharief from Bhadarwah, Sheikh Riyaz from Doda and Pradeep Kumar Bhagat from Doda West.
