Sat Sharma replaces Ravinder Raina as J&K BJP chief amid defeat in Assembly polls

After his defeat in the just concluded Assembly elections despite a strong party wave in Jammu province, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday removed outspoken leader Ravinder Raina as president of the J&K unit of the party.

Former Minister and ex-MLA Sat Sharma has been appointed as the new president of the party in place of Ravinder Raina.

According to an order issued by the national general secretary of the party Arun Singh, the national president of the BJP, JP Nadda, has appointed Sat Sharma as president of the J&K unit of the party.

A party communication said Raina had been made a member of its national executive. Sharma, who was also at the helm earlier, is an experienced organization person. Party sources said the tenure of Raina, who was in the chair since 2018, was over long ago, and the change of guard is a natural exercise as the BJP prepares for organizational elections.

After denying the party mandate to him on the Jammu West Assembly segment, Sat Sharma was earlier appointed as working president of the party on September 9 amidst electioneering.

Sat Sharma had won the 2014 Assembly elections from the Jammu West Assembly segment by a record margin of over 50,000 votes but he was denied a mandate on the same seat in the 2024 elections. Sharma earlier served as president of the J&K unit of BJP from 2015 to 2018 and remained a cabinet minister in the PDP-BJP regime headed by Mehbooba Mufti for a brief period of three months from April 2018 to June 2018.

Raina faced defeat despite BJP's wave in Jammu province

The outgoing president of the J&K unit of the party is facing criticism for his defeat in the just-concluded Assembly elections despite the party's strong wave in Jammu province.

Ravinder Raina lost elections from the Nowshera assembly segment. He was defeated by National Conference candidate Surinder Choudhary by a margin of over 7,000 votes. Surinder Choudhary got 35,069 votes, while Ravinder Raina secured 27,250 votes.

After Surinder Choudhary defeated BJP's J&K president Ravinder Raina, Choudhary was awarded the post of Deputy Chief Minister by the National Conference leadership.

Meanwhile, the J&K unit of BJP will hold a meeting in Srinagar on Sunday to elect its legislature party leader ahead of the first assembly session in the Union Territory to be held on November 4 after a six-year gap.

The BJP bagged its all-time high of 29 seats in the recently held Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.