J&K assembly elections: BJP withdraws first list hours after releasing names of 44 candidates

Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that announced its first list for the state's upcoming assembly elections on Monday morning, withdrew it within hours. As per reports, a fresh list of candidates is expected for the state's elections. 

The party, before withdrawing the list, had fielded 15 candidates for the first phase on September 18, 10 for the second phase on September 25 and 19 for the third phase on October 1. However, prominent names such as Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, and former Deputy Chief Ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta, were given a miss in the first list.

The results of the J&K assembly elections would be declared on October 4.

BJP, in the now-deleted list, had fielded two Kashmiri Pandit candidates, Vir Saraf from Anantnag East-Shangus and Ashok Bhat from Habbakadal, and only one woman candidate, Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar. The party fielded four Dalit candidates from the four SC reserved seats.

BJP's Central Election Committee met on Sunday evening to finalise the party's candidates for the upcoming polls. In the last assembly elections held in 2014, when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state, the BJP had won 25 seats. The party is making all-out efforts to fend off the challenge from a resurgent Congress, which has tied up with the National Conference, especially in the Jammu region, a BJP bastion since 2014.