New Delhi, August 24
The BJP today announced its candidates for the first and second phase of elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

The announcement follows several rounds of discussions with its pre-poll alliance partner Jammu State Morcha (JSM), an outfit which owes allegiance to the RSS.

The BJP would contest six of the total 26 seats that are scheduled to go to the polls during the first phase of the elections to be held on September 16. In the second phase, which will be held on September 24 for 28 Assembly constituencies, the BJP has decided to field 11 candidates.

The names of the candidates for the first and the second phase were decided at a meeting of the Central Election Committee of the party which was presided by party president M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Today’s announcement follows marathon discussions held between the top brass of the BJP, including party general secretary Rajnath Singh, RSS joint general secretary Madan Das Devi and JSM president Shri Kumar at the RSS headquarters in the Capital yesterday.

Following are the names of BJP candidates announced today:

Mohammad Akbar Khan (Uri), M.M. War (Rafiabad), Damodar Singh (Baramulla), Mohammad Ahsan Ali (Kargil), Devraj Sharma (Darhal) and Azhar Manhas (Surankote) for the first phase.

The BJP candidates for the second phase of the elections are: Sheikh Abdul Rashid (Ganderbal), Sayyad Maqsood (Zadibal), Abdul Khalik Bhat (Idgah), Hira Lal Chatta (Habbakadal), S.K. Kaul (Sonawar), Shameema Wani (Chadoora), Ashraf Azad (Badgam), Mukhtar Rasool (Chrar-e-Sharief), Subhash Bhagat (Samba-SC), Sukhnandan (Marh) and Bansi Lal Bharati (Raipur Domana).