The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its first list of 44 candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The elections, which will decide the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, are set to be conducted in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1.
The BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) finalized the candidates’ names during a meeting held on Sunday. The meeting was chaired by BJP President JP Nadda and saw the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior party leaders.
Among the prominent names on the BJP’s candidate list are Arshid Bhat, who will contest from Rajpora; Javed Ahmad Qadri, from Shopian; Mohd Rafiq Wani, from Anantnag West; and Sofi Yousuf, from Srigufwara-Bijbehara. Other notable candidates include Rakesh Thakur from Ramban, Salim Bhat from Banihal, and Rohit Dubey from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. Additionally, Advocate Syed Wazahat will contest from Anantnag, Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, and Gajay Singh Rana from Doda.
This announcement is significant as it marks the first assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, which resulted in the reorganization of the region into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The state has been without an elected government since June 2018, following the BJP’s withdrawal from the coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP), leading to the imposition of Governor’s rule and the eventual dissolution of the Assembly.
The results of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections will be announced on October 4, 2024. This election is seen as a crucial moment for the region, offering its residents the opportunity to elect their representatives under a new political framework. The BJP’s candidate list reflects the party’s strategic focus on winning key constituencies across the Union Territory as it seeks to establish a strong foothold in this politically significant region.
