The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday named 16 candidates for the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, considerably pruning an initial list of 44 following protests by some party cadre who 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.
A group of disgruntled members protested at the BJP headquarters in Jammu.
While Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina attempted to downplay the discontent, the protests highlighted a growing rift within the party ranks
Some angry BJP workers from different assembly constituencies staged a protest at the party headquarters over the leadership "ignoring" hardworking workers and giving the mandate to "parachute candidates".
Jagdish Bhagat, president of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha, asserted that long-time members of the party felt overlooked.
"I have been associated with the party for the last 18 years and have worked day and night to strengthen it but the mandate was given to a person who joined the party only a few days back," Bhagat said.
Welcoming the withdrawal of the initial list, he said, "We hope that party leaders would be given the mandate instead of those who have done nothing for the party.
"If they ignore us, there will be serious consequences. We will not allow any wrongdoing and will protest against this injustice within the party," he added.
The revised list of candidates includes three former MLAs and Shagun Parihar, a woman candidate whose family has faced violence due to their political affiliations. Her father and uncle were killed by terrorists in Kishtwar district in November 2018.
Other notable candidates in the list are former ministers Sunil Sharma and Shakti Raj Parihar from the Jammu region and BJP vice president Sofi Yousuf from the Kashmir Valley.
Former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh was among the prominent leaders dropped by the BJP.
On the internal rumblings within the Jammu and Kashmir BJP, party unit chief Raina said, "The BJP is fully prepared for the elections... our mission is ensuring the victory of our party."
He assured that the names of candidates for the second and third phases of the Jammu and Kashmir elections would be announced shortly.
BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi echoed Raina's sentiments.
"There is no heartburn or confusion. We should not make any presumptions and wait for the fresh lists," he said.
As of now, 14 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the first phase of elections. August 27 is the last date for filing nominations for the first phase.
The process of filing nominations for the second and third phases will begin on August 29 and September 5, respectively.
The counting of votes for the elections will be taken up on October 4.
In the last assembly elections held in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014, when it was a full-fledged state, the BJP had won 25 seats.
The BJP is looking on build on its performance as it faces a rejuvenated challenge from the Congress-National Conference alliance, particularly in the Jammu region.
