JAMMU, Aug 23: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to announce the list for the first phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir UT within the next two days as the discussions regarding finalisation of names of probable candidates remained inconclusive in today’s high level meeting held at Union Capital.
According to party sources, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah and BJP president and Health Minister, J P Nadda on Friday held a long meeting with party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir as the party narrows down the list of probable candidates for the coming Assembly polls and fine tune their strategy.
Besides, Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy and Ram Madhav, the party’s poll incharges for the UT, and its national general secretary, incharge J&K and Ladakh UTs, Tarun Chugh, Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, Union Minister in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, senior party leader, Devender Singh Rana, and party co Incharge J&K, Ashish Sood were among others who were present in the meeting.
Sources said the senior party leaders besides the overall political situation in the UT, discussed the poll strategy with Shah and Nadda. The names of probable candidates for the elections also figured in the meeting. However the list of candidates for the first phase will be released within two days, sources added.
BJP national general secretary, Tarun Chugh told Excelsior that meeting is still on and it will last long, however, the list for first phase will be declared within two days.
When asked it will not be late for the candidates to file their nomination papers, Chugh said the forms will be filled up on the stipulated time and date.
It may be recalled that the last date for filing the nomination papers for the first phase of elections is August 27 and August 25 and 26 are public holidays hence the prospective candidates will be left with only one day for filing their nomination papers.
Sources said the meeting will continue till late night. The newly appointed election Incharge for J&K Ram Madhav who returned to Delhi from his two days J&K tour early this morning also briefed Nadda and Shah about his meetings with some political activists in Kashmir and possibilities of holding the alliance with some independent candidates and smaller political parties.
Sources said the BJP’s Central Election Committee is expected to meet in a few days to finalise its candidates for Haryana State and J-K UT.
The 90-member Assembly of the Union Territory of J&K is going to the polls in three phases on September 18 and 25 and October 1.
The counting of votes is scheduled for October 4. During first phase of elections polling will be held for 16 Assembly segments of South Kashmir and eight Assembly segments of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu region.
In the last Assembly election 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 (NC), especially in the region, a BJP bastion since 2014.
The meeting was also attended by MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, party general secretary (Org) Ashok Koul, national secretary Dr Narender Singh and general secretary J&K Sunil Sharma. (Daily Excelsior)
