The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released an initial list of 44 candidates for the upcoming three-phase Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, only to withdraw it shortly afterward. The party has announced plans to issue a revised list soon.
Sources close to the development revealed that the party is reworking the list, which had surprisingly omitted several prominent figures, including J&K BJP president Ravindra Raina and former Deputy Chief Ministers Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh. This omission drew considerable attention as it marked the first elections in the union territory following the abrogation of Article 370.
The withdrawn list included 44 candidates, with 15 slated for the first phase, 10 for the second phase, and 19 for the third and final phase of the elections. Sources indicate that the delay in finalizing the list is due to the recent Delimitation exercise, which has altered many Assembly seat boundaries. This adjustment requires the party to reassess candidate selections according to the new constituency dynamics.
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Additionally, one senior leader reportedly requested to withdraw from the race, but the party leadership did not accommodate the request. This leader’s candidacy might be announced at a later date.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP performed strongly, securing 25 seats, while the PDP emerged as the largest party with 28 seats. This time, Congress and the National Conference have formed an alliance for the polls, though they are reportedly still negotiating the final seat distribution.
The BJP has criticized the Congress-National Conference alliance, labeling it as opportunistic and urging Congress to clarify its stance on Article 370 and address public concerns more transparently.
