Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its third candidate list for the second and third phases of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Notably absent from the list are prominent leaders Nirmal Singh, Kavinder Gupta, and Ravinder Raina, raising speculation about the party's strategy in the region.
Among the changes, Baldev Raj Sharma has been selected to contest from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat, replacing Rohit Dubey, who was initially nominated in the party's withdrawn list. Despite the unveiling of the latest candidates, the BJP has left the Nowshera and Rajouri Assembly constituencies without declared candidates.
For the second phase of the elections, the BJP has fielded Ashok Bhat from Habba Kadal, Mohammad Akram Chaudhary from Gulabgarh (ST), and Kuldeep Raj Dubey from Reasi. Baldev Raj Sharma, now nominated for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, will also contest in this phase. Other candidates include Thakur Randhir Singh from Kalakote-Sunderbani, Chowdhary Zulfikar Ali from Budhal (ST), Mohammad Iqbal Naik from Thannamandi (ST), Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari from Surankot (ST), Chowdhary Abdul Ghani from Poonch Haveli, and Murtaza Khan from Mendhar (ST).
In the third phase, the BJP has named Pawan Gupta for Udhampur West, Balwant Singh Mankotia for Chenani, and Sunil Bhardwaj for Ramnagar (SC). Other key candidates include Jeeval Lal for Bani, Satish Sharma for Billawar, and Darshan Singh for Basohli. Rajiv Jasrotia has been chosen for Jasrota, while Vijay Kumar Sharma will contest from Hiranagar.
Devinder Kumar Maniyal is slated to run from Ramgarh (SC), and Surjit Singh Salatia will contest from Samba. Chandra Prakash Ganga has been nominated for Vijaypur, and Gharu Ram Bhagat will run from Suchetgarh (SC). Narinder Singh Raina has been selected for RS Pura (Jammu South), Yudhvir Sethi for Jammu East, and Arvind Gupta for Jammu West.
Sham Lal Sharma, a notable party figure, will contest from Jammu North, while Mohan Lal Bhagat is set to run from Akhnoor (SC). Rajeev Sharma has been nominated for Chhamb, rounding out the list of candidates for the third phase.
The BJP's decision to exclude prominent leaders such as Nirmal Singh, Kavinder Gupta, and Ravinder Raina has sparked considerable debate among political analysts and party supporters. Nirmal Singh, a former Deputy Chief Minister, along with Kavinder Gupta and Ravinder Raina, have all played significant roles in the BJP’s political strategies in the region.
The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases. The first phase is scheduled for September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25, and the third and final phase on October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.
