Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Thursday filed his Lok Sabha nomination as BJP candidate for the Udhampur constituency before the Returning Officer at Kathua, Rakesh Minhas.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accompanied Dr. Jitendra Singh at the time of filing his papers. Dr. Jitendra Singh’s wife Manju Singh was also present.
Dr. Jitendra Singh had earlier won election from the constituency in 2014 and 2019 with a massive margin of votes. The two-time MP from Udhampur is aiming for a hat-trick of wins.
Earlier in the morning, the minister held prayers at his residence here before proceeding to Kathua to file the papers. A large number of people greeted him en route.
“People from the hills of Kishtwar and Doda had reached yesterday to show their love and faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is proof of the work done in this region but the Opposition fails to see any development,” Dr. Singh told a rally in Kathua.
Seeking the support of the people, he said, “I bow before you for the love and faith in me and seek your blessings again.”
Before filing the nomination papers, he took out a large rally that saw the participation of Dalip Singh Rana, better known as ‘The Great Khali’ for his exploits in the World Wrestling Entertainment, and J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina.
The Udhampur-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency was once a stronghold of the Congress party.
In 2014, Jitendra Singh defeated former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad by more than 60,000 votes from the Udhampur seat. In 2019, he won against Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, the son of Congress leader Dr. Karan Singh. He won by a substantial margin of 3,57,252 votes.