Final decision on selection lies with national leadership
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 6: To finalise the names of four Rajya Sabha (RS) candidates from the Union Territory (UT) of J&K going to polls on October 24, a high level delegation of BJP left for New Delhi this morning to hold meeting with party High Command.
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According to party sources, the BJP JK UT president, Sat Sharma and party general secretary (Org), Ashok Koul left for Union Capital today with the list of probable candidates from the party for upcoming RS polls. Sources said that the party national general secretary, Tarun Chugh, who is incharge of J&K and Ladakh UTs, is already in Delhi and all the three leaders held a meeting this evening prior to their formal meetings with Party president JP Nadda, national general secretary, (Organisation), B L Santosh tomorrow, sources added.
They said that the three leaders are likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah also and discuss the names of prospective candidates for all four Rajya Sabha seats in the UT and two Assembly seats of Nagrota in Jammu region and Budgam in Kashmir valley whose by-elections will be held on November 11.
Confirming this, party general secretary (Org), Ashok Koul told Excelsior that the UT leaders held meeting with party national general secretary, Tarun Chugh in New Delhi this evening and tomorrow they are meeting national president of BJP, J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, sources said that UT unit of party has framed a list of about 14 probable candidates out of which the final selection will be made by Party High Command only. However, among the front runners included former Deputy CM, Dr Nirmal Singh, party president, Sat Sharma, former party chief, Ravinder Raina and BJP chief spokesperson, Sunil Sethi. Besides, the names of OBC leader and former Vice Chairperson J&K OBC Board, Rashpaul Verma, former Minister, Bali Bhagat, Vice Chairperson, J&K Wakf Board, Dr Darakshan Andrabi and former general secretary of the party and ex MLC, Vibodh Gupta also figure in the list.
Sources even don’t rule out that BJP may also field a strong and a prominent political leader from its allies for one of the seats from J&K. However, the final decision lies with the High Command and in tomorrow’s meeting they will discuss the list of candidates framed in the recently held Core Group meeting here and also ascertain views of party leaders from the UT in this regard.
Sources said prior to their meeting with senior national leaders tomorrow, J&K BJP leaders held a threadbare discussion with Chugh during today’s meeting in New Delhi.
Sources said the names of two Assembly seats in the UT -the by elections of which are going to be held on November 11 this year will also be finalised in the meeting with High Command tomorrow. The two seats including Nagrota Assembly segment of Jammu division which fell vacant after the death of Devender Singh Rana who was elected from this constituency last year and Budgam Assembly segment in Kashmir valley which fell vacant as the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah who was elected from two Assembly seats of Budgam and Ganderbal in last year’s Assembly poll as he vacated this seat and retained his traditional seat of Ganderbal.
Sources said that for Nagrota seat the daughter of Devender Singh Rana, Devyani Rana is front runner while senior BJP leader and brother of sitting MP, Jugal Kishore Sharma ,Nand Kishore is also exerting his pressure to seek mandate from there.
In Budgam, sources said, two candidates Ashraf Azad a senior party leader and district president of Budgam Aga Syed Rahulla are emerging as probable candidates.
Meanwhile, BJP senior leader and former MLC Sofi Mohammed Yousf told reporters at Anantnag along with party district president, Rakesh Koul and senior leader and former National Executive Member, Rafiq Mir today that BJP will field candidates for all four RS seats in the UT and it will win two seats.
Sofi, a former vice president of J&K BJP said some candidates from other parties are going to support BJP candidate and party is optimistic of winning two seats.
It may be recalled that four RS seats in the J&K fell vacant after the retirement of two PDP MPs, Mir Mohammed Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway, BJP’s Shamsher Singh Manhas and Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress in 2021. As the UT was under LG’s rule and there was no Assembly, the elections to these four seats were deferred.
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