In a significant shake-up within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, new appointments have been made to address rising tensions within the party. Amid increasing discontent over electoral ticket distribution, BJP National President J.P. Nadda has announced a series of changes aimed at revitalizing the party’s campaign strategy.
On Monday, Nadda appointed former minister Sat Sharma as the working president of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit. Additionally, Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta have been named co-chairs of the party’s election campaign committee. This move was detailed in a notification from BJP national general secretary Arun Singh.
Notably, all three leaders—Sharma, Singh, and Gupta—have been excluded from the party’s candidate list for the upcoming elections.
Changes in Candidate List
During the 2014 Assembly elections, Sat Sharma and Nirmal Singh were elected as BJP MLAs from Jammu West and Billawar, respectively. However, both have been replaced in the party’s current candidate lineup. Arvind Gupta is now slated to contest from Jammu West, while Satish Sharma will represent Billawar.
The situation has worsened for Kavinder Gupta, a former MLA from the now-reorganized Gandhi Nagar constituency. His name is absent from the new candidates for the Bahu and RS Pura Jammu South constituencies, which were redefined following the 2022 delimitation. Instead, the BJP has selected Vikram Randhawa for Bahu and Professor Narinder Singh Raina for RS Pura Jammu South.
Internal Conflicts
The party’s internal discord is further highlighted by the dissatisfaction expressed by Choudhary Sukhnandan, a former Marh MLA, who has been appointed as vice-chairperson of the J&K poll campaign committee. Sukhnandan was reportedly unhappy with the party’s decision to nominate Surinder Bhagat for the Marh seat, as he had hoped to see a different candidate.
In another sign of the growing unrest, J&K party general secretary Pawan Khajuria is contemplating an independent run for the Udhampur East constituency after being passed over in favor of R.S. Pathania. The ongoing internal conflicts and changes in leadership reflect the party’s struggle to navigate the challenging political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir.
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