BJP on Monday withdrew its list of 44 candidates for the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. The party later named 16 candidates after some party cadre alleged that 'parachute candidates' were favoured over dedicated workers. The original list, which included candidates for 36 segments in the Jammu region and eight in the Kashmir Valley, sparked significant dissatisfaction among party workers.
Everyone was surprised to see that the names of both former Deputy CMs Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh were not on the list. A group of disgruntled members protested at the BJP headquarters in Jammu. They also raised slogans in support of local BJP leader Om Khajuria.
BJP workers were protesting against giving ticket to Shyam Lal Sharma from Jammu North seat. The reason for the protest was Sham Lal Sharma's Congress history. Sham Lal Sharma has been a senior Congress leader in Jammu, has been a Congress MLA from Akhnoor seat and has also held the post of minister once. In 2019, Sham Lal Sharma left Congress and joined BJP. Sham Lal Sharma's traditional seat was Akhnoor but after delimitation, this seat was reserved for the SC category, so BJP decided to give a ticket to Sham Lal Sharma from Jammu North seat.
BJP workers were raising slogans in the office in protest against giving tickets to a candidate from Congress. After pictures of protests among the workers surfaced, the party spokesperson was seen arguing for haste in releasing the list.
Local leaders had to give clarification and then BJP released a revised list, but the new list had the names of only 15 candidates, and one special thing was that the re-issued list did not have the name of a candidate from Jammu North.
After this list, another list comes which includes only one name, which shows that there is a contradiction within the party regarding local and so-called parachute candidates. Jammu is traditionally considered a stronghold of BJP, but if voices of protest start coming from Jammu itself, then it is an indication that after the removal of Article 370, BJP's first electoral test in the new Jammu and Kashmir is not going to be easy.
