The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially released its list of candidates for the upcoming Jammu Kashmir assembly elections.
This announcement follows a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee, which was chaired by BJP National President Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda on August 25, 2024.
The meeting included key party leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
In the first phase, the BJP has fielded candidates across various constituencies. Er. Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi will contest from Pampore, while Shri Arshid Bhat has been nominated for Rajpora. Shri Javed Ahmad Qadri is the candidate for Shopian, and Mohd. Rafiq Wani will represent Anantnag West. Adv. Syed Wazahat has been chosen for Anantnag, with Shri Sofi Yousuf contesting from Srigufwara–Bijbehara.
Veer Saraf will stand for Shangus–Anantnag East, Shri Tariq Keen for Inderwal, and Sushri Shagun Parihar for Kishtwar.
Other candidates include Shri Sunil Sharma for Padder–Nagseni, Shri Daleep Singh Parihar for Bhadarwah, Shri Gajay Singh Rana for Doda, Shri Shakti Raj Parihar for Doda West, Shri Rakesh Thakur for Ramban, and Shri Salim Bhat for Banihal.
In the second phase, the party has announced Shri Ashok Bhat as the candidate for Habbakadal and Mohammad Akram Chaudhary for Gulabgarh (ST). Shri Kuldeep Raj Dubey will contest from Reasi, and Shri Rohit Dubey from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.
Thakur Randhir Singh has been selected for Kalakote–Sunderbani, while Chowdhary Zulfikar Ali will represent Budhal (ST).
Other candidates include Mohd. Iqbal Malik for Thannamandi (ST), Shri Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari for Surankote (ST), Chowdhary Abdul Ghani for Poonch Haveli, and Shri Murtaza Khan for Mendhar (ST).
In the third phase, the BJP’s list includes Shri Pawan Gupta for Udhampur West, Shri Balwant Singh Mankotia for Chenani, and Shri Sunil Bhardwaj for Ramnagar (SC). Shri Jeevan Lal will stand for Bani, Shri Satish Sharma for Billawar, and Shri Darshan Singh for Basohli.
The candidate for Jasrota is Shri Rajiv Jasrotia, while Adv. Vijay Kumar Sharma will represent Hiranagar. Dr. Devinder Kumar Maniyal has been selected for Ramgarh (SC), Shri Surjit Singh Slathia for Samba, and Shri Chandra Prakash Ganga for Vijaypur.
The party has also nominated Shri Gharu Ram Bhagat for Suchetgarh (SC), Dr. Narinder Singh Raina for R.S. Pura–Jammu South, and Shri Yudhvir Sethi for Jammu East. Dr. Devinder Singh Rana will contest from Nagrota, Shri Arvind Gupta from Jammu West, Shri Sham Lal Sharma from Jammu North, Shri Mohan Lal Bhagat from Akhnoor (SC), and Shri Rajeev Sharma from Chhamb.
This list reflects the BJP’s strategy to blend experience with new leadership as it aims to strengthen its position in the region.
The party’s candidates will compete in a variety of constituencies, including urban, rural, and reserved seats.
The BJP’s campaign is expected to focus on development and stability, which the party sees as key to winning voter confidence in the upcoming elections.