Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 3: The BJP is holding a crucial Core Group meeting at party Headquarters, Trikuta Nagar here, tomorrow morning to discuss the names of probable party candidates for four Rajya Sabha (RS) seats in the UT, the election for which will be held on October 24.
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According to party sources, the BJP national general secretary, Tarun Chugh who is also party Incharge for J&K and Ladakh UTs will chair the meeting which will also be attended by Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, party president, Sat Sharma, MPs Jugal Kishore Sharma and Ghulam Ali Khatana, Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Sunil Sharma, party national secretary and MLA, R S Pura, Dr Narinder Singh, BJP general secretary (Organisation), Ashok Koul, party chief spokesperson, Sunil Sethi, party spokesperson, G L Raina and party general secretaries, Sangita Dogra, Baldev Singh Billawaria and Gopal Mahajan.
It may be recalled that the Election Commission (EC) announced on September 25 that the elections to the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory would be held on October 24, more than four years after they fell vacant.
“The core group meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP will be held at the party Headquarters here at 10 am on Saturday to discuss various issues of importance,” party sources said.
Sources said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national general secretary and in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir Tarun Chugh will preside over the meeting while it will be attended by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh also.
Sources said various names are making rounds to be the contenders for the Rajya Sabha polls from the party. They included former Deputy CM , Dr Nirmal Singh, BJP president, Sat Sharma, former president, Ravinder Raina, party chief spokesperson, Sunil Sethi, former Minister, Bali Bhagat as well as OBC leader, Reshpaul Verma. Sources said even the name of one lady and a businessman turned politician who over a year back joined the party may also figure during the discussions to be as probable candidates.
Sources said recently an OBC delegation met the party leadership here including its president, Sat Sharma and general secretary (Org) Ashok Koul and strongly demanded that an OBC candidate be given ticket for RS this time.
Sources said out of four seats BJP may win one seat but it will contest all the four seats.
Sources said the BJP will formally set the process in motion for finalising its candidates at Saturday’s meeting but final selection of the candidate will be made by Party’s Parliamentary Board in Delhi.
The party may discuss the names of the probable candidates in tomorrow’s meeting and will submit the list to High Command for the final decision, sources added.
The meeting will also discuss other issues, including the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the forthcoming Assembly bypolls in Nagrota and Budgam constituencies, sources said.
The last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls is October 13. The counting of votes will be taken up in the evening of October 24, an hour after polling concludes.
Polling for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory is being held nearly a year after the Assembly polls.
The seats fell vacant in February 2021, when the terms of then MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway ended.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was formed in October last year, after the first Assembly election for the Union Territory, which was created in August 2019.
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