The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has faced a wave of resignations from its Chanapora constituency team after the party’s decision to field Hilal Ahmad Wani, a Congress defector, as its candidate.
This move has sparked significant discontent among long-serving BJP workers in the region.
Altaf Ahmad Pandit, the BJP’s constituency president for Channapora, along with 40 team members, including constituency secretary Mir Mehraj, youth president Suhail Ahmad Bhat, and vice-president Parvaiz Ahmad, submitted their resignations in protest.
In a letter to BJP state president Ravinder Raina, Pandit expressed his frustration, stating, “For the last six years, we gave everything to the party, building a strong team and receiving leadership’s appreciation. Now, we’ve been sidelined, and the ticket has gone to someone else.”
Although the BJP has not officially announced the candidate, sources indicate that Wani, who recently defected from Congress, will likely contest the Channapora seat.
Complicating matters, Wani’s son, Mehraj Hilal Wani, is running for the same seat under the banner of the Anarakshit Samaj Party.
This internal dissent within the BJP reflects a broader trend in Kashmir, where loyal party workers feel neglected in favour of new entrants.
Just two weeks ago, Minha Lateef, the BJP’s only District Development Council member from Pulwama, resigned after being denied a ticket for the Pampore assembly segment. Instead, Shokwat Gayoor, another newcomer, was selected to contest the seat.
Local BJP cadres, especially those who have worked through the political challenges in Kashmir, accuse the party’s internal dynamics of favouring newcomers over veterans who played a pivotal role in raising the BJP’s profile in the Valley.