Srinagar: In a surprising turn of events, the BJP on Monday released a list of 44 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, only to delete it hours later.
The now-deleted list included 36 candidates from the Jammu region and eight from Kashmir, but notably absent were several key figures such as J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, former deputy chief ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta, and ex-ministers Sat Paul Sharma, Priya Sethi, and Sham Lal Choudhary.
The list also featured two Kashmiri Pandits and 14 Muslim candidates, alongside several former members of the Congress, National Conference, PDP, and Panthers Party who had recently joined the BJP.
However, within hours, the BJP withdrew the full list and reissued a revised version with only 15 candidates for the first phase of the election, scheduled to be held on September 18. Interestingly, the names on the revised list remained unchanged, signaling the party's confidence in these selections.
Sources indicated that the retraction was driven by internal discontent following the release of the initial list, prompting senior BJP leadership to step in and narrow the focus to the first phase.
This unusual sequence of events sparked considerable speculation, with some interpreting it as a tactical maneuver and others suggesting it reflects internal deliberations or last-minute decisions within the party.
The first phase of voting is scheduled for September 18, followed by the second on September 25, and the final phase on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4. This election marks the first Assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the region's special status was revoked in 2019 and its reorganisation into two Union Territories.
The last Assembly election in the region took place in 2014, where the BJP secured 25 seats, and the PDP emerged as the largest party with 28 seats. The National Conference won 15 seats, and the Congress secured 12.
Following the 2014 election, the BJP and PDP formed a surprise alliance government, initially led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later by Mehbooba Mufti after Sayeed's death in January 2016.