J&K Assembly elections: BJP retains most candidate from withdrawn first list, brings just one change

The first list was withdrawn after several party workers protested and alleged ‘turncoats’ being preferred over ‘dedicated workers’

BJP workers protested after the party released the first list of candidates for the J&K Assembly elections, outside party headquarters in Jammu, Tuesday, August 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (August 27, 2024) dropped one candidate out of 44 names nominated in the list that was released earlier this week and led to furore within the party in Jammu & Kashmir.

For the Vaishno Devi seats, the party has now fielded Baldev Raj Sharma and dropped Rohit Dubey, a BJP statement said.

The first list of the BJP had several Muslim candidates from the Pir Panjal valley, which has seven Assembly constituencies. Those included Mohammad Akram Choudhary from the Gulabgarh seat; Zulfiqar Choudhary from the Budhal seat; Iqbal Malik of the Thanamandi seat; Syed Mushtaq Bhukhari from the Surankote seat, Choudhary Abdul Gani from the Poonch Haveli and Murtaza Khan from the Mendhar.

The first list was withdrawn after several party workers protested and alleged “turncoats” being preferred over “dedicated workers”. The BJP list with 44 candidates was withdrawn later.