BJP shares revised candidate list for J&K elections, announces 15 candidates for first phase
PTC News Desk: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its revised list of 15 candidates for the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. This update follows an earlier release of a list featuring 44 candidates for all three phases of the polls, which was subsequently withdrawn to address necessary amendments.
According to sources, the initial list faced internal criticism from senior BJP leaders who were discontent with the exclusion of their names from the first phase roster. The party's decision to amend the list reflects these concerns. Among the notable updates in the revised list is the inclusion of Vir Saraf, a Kashmiri Pandit from Anantnag East-Shangus. This nomination is seen as a strategic move to engage more actively with the Pandit community in the Kashmir Valley.
The party has also chosen to field only one woman candidate, Shagun Parihar, who will run for the Kishtwar constituency. This represents a modest step towards gender representation within the BJP’s candidate selection.
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Absent from the updated list are three significant figures: Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, and former Deputy Chief Ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta, whose omission has raised questions.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections are slated to occur in three phases, starting September 18 and concluding on October 1, with results expected to be announced on October 4.
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- With inputs from agencies
