Jasleen Kour
Jammu, August 26
In a surprising and unprecedented move in the political history of the party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its initial list of 44 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections just hours after releasing it on Monday.
The party cited no reason for the withdrawal but released a revised list of 15 candidates for the first phase of the elections two hours later.
Revised List Released
The revised list, announced by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, features the same candidates as the original list for the first phase, with no changes made. The party has declared the list of candidates for the second and third phases “null and void”.
भारतीय जनता पार्टी द्वारा आज दिनांक 26.08.2024 सोमवार को जम्मू व कश्मीर विधानसभा चुनाव 2024 हेतु प्रथम चरण के प्रत्याशियों की पहली सूची जारी की गई। pic.twitter.com/vgXzf4m7aZ
— BJP (@BJP4India) August 26, 2024
Reason for Withdrawal
Dr. Pradeep Mahotra, media incharge of BJP headquarters in Jammu, stated that the list was withdrawn for some changes, as per the direction of the high command.
Election Schedule
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4.
Key Omissions and Inclusions
The original list had excluded three key names: Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, and former Deputy Chief Ministers Nirmal Singh, Kavinder Gupta former ministers Sham Choudhary, Sat Sharma, and others.
In contrast, the list included Devendra Rana, brother of Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who recently joined the BJP from the National Conference.
Political Implications
The BJP’s move raises eyebrows, particularly in the Jammu region, where the party is working hard to counter the challenge from a resurgent Congress, which has formed an alliance with the National Conference.
