BJP withdraws first list of 44 candidates in J&K, releases fresh one with 15 nominees

Within minutes after releasing the first list of 44 candidates for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP withdrew its list without giving any reason.

Two hours after withdrawing the list issued on Monday morning, the BJP released a fresh list of 15 candidates for the seats that are going for polling for the first phase of elections.

While releasing the revised list, the national general secretary of BJP Arun Singh stated that the list of candidates for the second and third phases of the Assembly elections would be considered "null and void".

"Following the direction of the high command, the list issued for the candidates for all the three phases has been withdrawn", Dr. Pradeep Mahotra, media incharge of BJP headquarters in Jammu told the International Bussiness Times. He said that the list has been withdrawn for some changes.
BJP's move raises many eyebrows

In a surprising move, the BJP withdrew its initial list of 44 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections just after releasing it.
The party is expected to make some changes and release a revised list soon.
Earlier, the BJP had announced its first list of candidates, including Devender Singh Rana from Nagrota, for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
The original list included 15 candidates for the first phase, 10 for the second phase, and 19 for the third phase.

The BJP's Central Election Committee had met on Sunday evening to finalize the party's candidates.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4.

In the 2014 assembly elections, the BJP had won 25 seats, and this time, the party is working hard to counter the challenge from a resurgent Congress, which has formed an alliance with the National Conference, particularly in the Jammu region.

BJP releases revised list of candidates

After withdrawing its initial list of 44 candidates, the BJP released a fresh list with 15 names for the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.

The new list features the same candidates as the original list for the first phase, with no changes made. Later, another list with a single name was released.

The original list had excluded three key names: Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, and former Deputy Chief Ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta.

In contrast, the list included Devendra Rana, brother of Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who recently joined the BJP from the National Conference.

The list also featured two Kashmiri Pandits and 14 Muslim candidates. Several former leaders from Congress, National Conference, and Panthers Party, who switched to the BJP, were also included.