Jammu: The BJP in Jammu and Kashmir is planning to field candidates aged 25-40 years from non-political families in the ensuing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The party is considering appointing in-charges for each Assembly constituency to select potential candidates through suggestions from local leadership of the district in Jammu Kashmir a top leader told ETV Bharat, who on Saturday went for a meeting in Dehli with BJP national president JP Nadda.
A senior party leader will be responsible for preparing a panel of candidates for the Assembly elections. Their duties will include creating a list of two to three young candidates from each Assembly segment, who do not have a political background. The party will focus on individuals involved in sports, arts, culture and social work. The party has already prepared a list of such people in Jammu and Kashmir, who have not only benefited from the Central government's schemes, but also played a significant role in connecting others to these schemes.
On August 16, the Election Commission announced the dates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. While discussing election preparations and strategies in Delhi, the Election Commission announced the election dates for both the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Assemblies on August 16. Immediately after this, the party called a meeting of general secretaries and state presidents from all states in Delhi on August 17. The meeting will discuss election preparations and strategies for both states. A senior BJP leader stated that the party will contest the elections in Jammu and Kashmir with the intent to win. The party will utilise its full strength not only in the Jammu region, but also in the Valley.
The last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014. Much has changed between 2014 and 2024. The President's Rule has been in effect since December 20, 2018. This will be the first Assembly election held after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. In the 2014 Assembly elections, there were 87 seats, four of which were in Ladakh. Now, excluding the seats in Ladakh, the number has increased to 90, as Ladakh is now a separate Union Territory.
Out of these 90 seats, 43 are in the Jammu division and 47 in the Kashmir division. Of these, seven seats are reserved for SCs and nine seats for STs. After delimitation, seven new Assembly seats have been added, six in Jammu and one in Kashmir. The Governor can nominate five members, which is also crucial. The Governor has the right to nominate five members to the Assembly. In such a situation, the total number of seats remains at 95, and the majority mark reaches 48. In the event of a hung Assembly, these five members could be decisive in forming the new government.
Elections for the 90 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. Voting for all 90 seats in Haryana will be conducted in a single phase on October 1. The results for both states will be announced on October 4.
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