ASSEMBLY POLL 2024: BJP names 10 more candidates
The BJP on Sunday released a list of 10 candidates for the UT Assembly poll, fielding Vikram Randhawa from the Bahu seat, RS Pathania from Udhampur East and Naseer Ahmad Lone from Bandipora.
According to the BJP’s sixth candidates’ list, Faqir Mohammad Khan will contest from the Gurez seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Abdul Rasheed Khan from Sonawari and Ghulam Mohammad Mir from Handwara.
Bharat Bhushan will contest the election from Kathua, Rajeev Bhagat from Bishnah, Mohd Idrees Karnahi from Karnah and Surinder Bhagat from Marh.
The BJP has so far named 62 candidates, including 20 for the Kashmir valley, where the BJP is yet to open its account in the Assembly elections.
Notably, former Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta has been replaced with former member of legislative council (MLC) Vikram Randhawa from the Bahu seat. Gupta was elected from Gandhi Nagar, renamed as the Bahu Assembly segment, in 2014 elections.
Randhawa found himself embroiled in controversies on three occasions between 2019 and 2021, leading to filing of two FIRs against him in Ladakh and Jammu, and even forcing him to tender an unconditional public apology to Minister Jitendra Singh for levelling baseless allegations of corruption against him. In November 2021, the J&K BJP unit removed Randhawa from the post of secretary over his derogatory remarks against Kashmiri Muslims.
Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi will visit the UT on September 14 to address multiple rallies in Jammu region, the party said on Sunday.
(With inputs from PTI)
