BJP Third List Of Candidates: 29 New Faces Revealed For Jammu And Kashmir Assembly Elections

Updated: Tuesday, August 27, 2024, 18:02 [IST]

The BJP has yet to reveal its candidates for Nowshera and Gandhinagar constituencies. Nowshera was represented by the party in 2014, while Gandhinagar was won by Kavinder Gupta. Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are set to occur in three phases.

BJP Announces Candidates for J&K Polls

On Tuesday, the BJP announced an additional list of 29 candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. This brings the total number of seats with announced candidates to 45. Devender Singh Rana has been nominated for Nagrota, and Satish Sharma will contest in Billawar. Notably, Billawar was previously represented by former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh in the 2014 elections.

The latest list includes 10 candidates for the second phase and 19 for the third phase of the elections. The party has revised its candidate list, making one change from a version briefly released on Monday. Baldev Raj Sharma will now contest from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi constituency, replacing Rohit Dubey. All other candidates remain unchanged from those announced previously.

Prime Minister Modi to Lead Campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spearhead the BJP's campaign in these elections, marking the first electoral exercise in Jammu and Kashmir since its special status was revoked and it became a Union Territory in August 2019. Other prominent BJP leaders such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president J P Nadda, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are also listed as star campaigners.

The assembly elections are scheduled over three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1. The vote counting will occur on October 4. This election is significant as it is happening after nearly a decade.

The BJP's current state president Ravinder Raina previously represented Nowshera in 2014. However, the party has not yet disclosed its candidate for this constituency or Gandhinagar, which was won by senior leader Kavinder Gupta in the last election.