Jammu: Political parties are gearing up for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its sixth list of candidates on Sunday, announcing names for ten more seats.
R S Pathania will contest from Udhampur East and Naseer Ahmed Lone from Bandipora. A significant change is the exclusion of former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta, who will be replaced by Vikram Randhawa from the Bahu seat.
The full list of BJP candidates in this round includes Mohd Idris Karnahi from Karnah, Ghulam Mohammad Mir from Handwara, Abdul Rashid Khan from Sonawari, Naseer Ahmed Lone from Bandipora, Fakir Mohammad Khan from Gurez, R S Pathania from Udhampur, Dr Bharat Bhushan from Kathua, Rajiv Bhagat from Bishnah, Vikram Randhawa from Bahu, and Surinder Bhagat from Marh.
What promises did BJP make?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched BJP’s election manifesto on September 7. The party’s key promises include metro connectivity and amusement parks if they form the government in Jammu and Kashmir.
A new scheme called the ‘Maa Samman Yojana’ will provide Rs 18,000 annually to the oldest woman in every household. Under the Ujjwala scheme, two free gas cylinders will be provided to eligible families each year.
Another initiative, the Pragati Shiksha Yojana, will offer Rs 3,000 per year as a travel allowance to college students.
Earlier, BJP also announced the candidacy of Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who will run from the Nowshera constituency. This time, Congress has joined forces with the National Conference under the India Alliance to contest the elections, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will contest alone.
The BJP previously formed a coalition government with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir before withdrawing support in 2018.
Result of Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on October 8
In the last assembly elections in 2014, the PDP won 28 seats, BJP secured 25 seats, the National Conference won 15, and Congress took 12 seats. In recent Lok Sabha elections, BJP contested two seats from Jammu and won both.
The upcoming elections will be held for 90 assembly seats, with seven seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and nine for Scheduled Tribes (ST). Voting will take place in three phases: on September 18, September 25, and October 1. Results will be announced on October 8.