BJP Announces Fourth Candidate List for J&K Assembly Polls

The BJP has released its fourth list of six candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Ravinder Raina, the union territory unit president, will contest from Nowshera. This election marks the first since the revocation of Article 370. Internal conflicts have led to some resignations within the party.

The BJP on Monday unveiled its fourth list of six candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, featuring union territory unit president Ravinder Raina, who will contest from Nowshera in the Jammu region.

With this new list, the BJP has announced 51 candidates, including 14 for the Kashmir Valley, where the party has yet to gain a seat in assembly elections. Raina, who won from Nowshera in Rajouri district in 2014, is again running from his home constituency. He expressed gratitude to the party for their confidence in him and optimistic about securing a majority of seats to form the next government.

The assembly elections, set to be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, are the first since the revocation of Article 370 and the state's division into two union territories in August 2019. Amid internal dissent over candidate selections, several BJP leaders have resigned, and the party has conducted damage control by mobilizing top leaders to address the concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)