State BJP chief to be in fray from Nowshera

SRINAGAR: The BJP on Monday released its fourth list of six candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, fielding party’s J&K unit chief and firebrand leader Ravindra Raina from his home constituency Nowshera in border district of Rajouri in Jammu region.

Raina, who has been J&K BJP chief since before the Article 370 abrogation, had won the Assembly polls from the Nowshera in his electoral debut in 2014. Er Aijaz Hussain, a BJP district development committee (DDC) member from Srinagar, has been fielded from the prestigious Lal Chowk seat in Srinagar. Aijaz, a youth leader, was among the three BJP members, who won the DDC polls in 2020.

Others given mandate by BJP in the Monday list includes Arif Raja from Eidgah seat in Srinagar, Dr Ali Mohammad Mir from Khansahib seat, Zahid Hussain from Chrar-e-Sharief and Vibodh Gupta will fight from Rajouri (ST). With this list of six candidates, the BJP has so far named 51 candidates including 14 from the Kashmir Valley and 37 from Jammu region.

Of the 90 member J&K Assembly, Kashmir has 47 seats and Jammu has 43. Of the 90 seats, nine seats have been reserved for STs and seven seats for SCs. Jammu and Kashmir is going to polls in three phases – September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting of votes is slated for October 4.

These assembly polls, the first in J&K since the Article 370 abrogation, is very important for BJP and its J&K president Ravindra Raina. The BJP fulfilled its manifesto by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcating erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. The party would go into the polls with its narrative that the move has ushered in an era of peace and development in J&K. However, the party narrative will suffer a major jolt if it loses the polls and does not form the government in J&K.

Saffron party’s 51 candidates

With this list of six candidates, the BJP has so far named 51 candidates including 14 from the Kashmir Valley and 37 from Jammu. Of the 90 member J&K Assembly, Kashmir has 47 seats and Jammu has 43. Of the 90 seats, nine seats have been reserved for STs and seven seats for SCs. J&K is going to polls in three phases – September 18, 25, and October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4. The election is important for BJP and its J&K chief since abrogation of Article 370.

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