The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has released an updated list of 15 candidates for the first phase of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Earlier, the party had released a broader list of 44 candidates for all three phases, but it was retracted due to the need for revisions.

Key Figures Missing from Initial List

Notably, the now-deleted list excluded some prominent names, including Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina and former Deputy Chief Ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta. Meanwhile, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh’s brother, Devendra Rana, who recently switched from the National Conference, was included.

Representation and Party Defectors

Several former leaders from Congress, National Conference, PDP, and Panthers Party, who had defected to the BJP, were also featured in the withdrawn list. The omission of certain names is said to have triggered internal discontent, prompting the BJP to pull back the three-phase list and only reissue names for the first phase.

Key Party Leaders Involved in Candidate Finalization

The revised list was released following the BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting, where key figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President JP Nadda finalized the party’s candidate choices.

The First Assembly Election Since Revocation of J&K’s Special Status

Jammu and Kashmir will hold Assembly elections in three phases, with voting scheduled for September 19, 25, and October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4. This election marks the first since J&K was stripped of its special status in 2019 and divided into two Union Territories.