The BJP released its first list of 44 candidates for the three-phase Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Monday. However, the party retracted the list within two hours. Subsequently, the BJP announced only 15 candidates for the first phase, declaring the candidates for the other two phases invalid.
In this revised list, the BJP has fielded a female candidate and a Kashmiri Pandit. Veer Saraf, a Kashmiri Pandit, has been given a ticket from Shangus-Anantnag East in the Kashmir Valley, while Shagun Parihar is the sole female candidate, running from Kishtwar.
The previously released list had announced a total of 44 candidates for the 90-seat Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The BJP had included two Kashmiri Pandits and 14 Muslim candidates in this list. However, sources indicate that several prominent BJP leaders were excluded, leading to the list being withdrawn.
Elections to be held in three phases
Elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases. Assembly election results will be announced on October 4th. Voting is scheduled for 24 seats in the first phase, 26 seats in the second phase, and 40 seats in the third phase.
Notable omissions in the list
The notable aspect of the initially released list was the absence of former Deputy CM and former Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Dr. Nirmal Singh. Dr. Singh had won from the Billawar Assembly seat in 2014; Satish Sharma received the ticket for this seat instead. Former Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta was also not included.
Read more: BJP may contest only 70 out of 90 seats in Jammu and Kashmir: What's the party's strategy?
Central Minister's brother included
In this list, BJP nominated Devender Rana, brother of Central Minister Jitendra Singh, from Nagrota. Devender Rana had joined BJP after leaving the National Conference.
BJP Central Election Committee meeting held on Sunday
On Sunday, a meeting of the BJP Central Election Committee was held in New Delhi concerning the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The meeting was attended by PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and several senior leaders. Discussions included election strategy, issues, candidate names, and potential rallies by PM Modi in the state. Speculations were rife that the BJP would announce the candidates' names by Monday morning.
Two rallies by PM Modi in Kashmir
Sources indicate that it was decided during the meeting that PM Modi would hold one to two rallies in Kashmir and 8 to 10 rallies in Jammu. The Election Commission has announced the dates for the 90-seat assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Voting is scheduled for September 18th, September 25th, and October 1st. To ensure security, the union territory will hold the assembly elections in three phases.
