J&K poll: BJP withdraws first list, announces two revised lists

The BJP on Monday (August 26) released two revised lists in quick succession after withdrawing the first list in which it had named 44 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. The party has now named a total of 16 candidates — 15 in the first revised list and only one in the other — for the first phase.

The initial list had the names of 15 candidates for the first phase, 10 for the second and 19 for the third round of polling. However, names of candidates for the second and third phases were removed from the revised lists.,

The party included Kashmir constituencies like Pampore, Shopian, Anantnag West, Anantnag and Kokernag (ST) in its revised lists. In the last assembly elections held in 2014, when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state, the BJP had won 25 seats. The party is making an all-out effort to fend off a challenge from a resurgent Congress — in alliance with the National Conference — especially in the Jammu region, which has been a BJP bastion since 2014.

The BJP’s Central Election Committee met on Sunday evening (August 25) to finalise the party’s candidates for the polls. The union territory is going to polls in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 4.