The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024, shortly after it withdrew a similar list of 44 candidates minutes after releasing it.
The BJP released the fresh list with names of only 15 candidates, chosen for the first phase of the election.
The prominent names on the list include Er Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi, who will be contesting from Pampore, and Arshid Bhat, to be fielded from Rajpora.
Javed Ahmad Qadri will represent Shopian, while Mohd. Rafiq Wani will be contesting from Anantnag West.
Adv Syed Wazahat has been fielded from Anantnag. Sofi Yousuf has been chosen for Srigufwara-Bijbehara, and Veer Saraf will contest elections from Shangus-Anantnag East.
Tariq Keen will contest from Inderwal, and Shagun Parihar will run from Kishtwar.
Sunil Sharma has been nominated for Padder-Nagseni, and Daleep Singh Parihar for Bhadarwah.
The Doda region will see Gajay Singh Rana contesting from Doda and Shakti Raj Parihar from Doda West.
For Ramban, Rakesh Thakur will be the BJP candidate, while Salim Bhat will contest from Banihal.
The first list of candidates came hours after the saffron party released a list of 44 candidates but withdrew it shortly afterwards.
Clarifying on this, the BJP said the previously announced candidates lists for the second and third phases of the elections are now void, and only the new lists should be considered.
Jammu and Kashmir will vote in three phases on September 19, 25 and October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4. This is the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir after the erstwhile state lost its special status in 2019 and was bifurcated into two Union Territories.