BJP Reverses Candidate List for Jammu and Kashmir Elections

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retracted their initial list of 44 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections, stating it will be reissued with amendments. The original list was announced following a meeting led by JP Nadda and attended by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has withdrawn its first list of 44 candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections. The party announced that a revised list would be issued after necessary amendments are made.

Earlier on Monday, the BJP unveiled its initial list, which included candidates like Syed Wazahat from Anantnag, Kuldeep Raj Dubey from Reasi, and Gajay Singh Rana from Doda. Other candidates named were Arshid Bhat for Rajpora and Sushri Shagun Parihar for Kishtwar. Pawan Gupta was listed for Udhampur West and Dr. Devinder Kumar Maniyal for Ramgarh (SC).

The announcement came after a meeting of the BJP Central Election Committee, chaired by JP Nadda and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to take place in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with the vote count set for October 4.

Jammu and Kashmir have a total of 90 assembly constituencies, including 7 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (ST). According to the Election Commission of India, there are 88.06 lakh eligible voters in the region. In the last assembly elections, the PDP won 28 seats, the BJP 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference 15, and the Congress 12.

The PDP and BJP previously formed a coalition government led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. However, the alliance ended in 2018 after the BJP pulled out following Sayeed's death and Mehbooba Mufti's succession. These upcoming elections will be the first held in the region since the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)