Arjumand Shah

Srinagar, Aug 28 (KINS): The National Conference (NC) has largely retained its old guard, while the BJP has introduced mostly new faces in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The nomination process for the Assembly elections, covering 24 constituencies in the first of three phased polls in Jammu and Kashmir, concluded on Tuesday. A total of 279 candidates have filed their nomination papers across 24 constituencies—16 in Kashmir and 8 in the Jammu region. However, the candidacy of 26 candidates has been rejected.

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The NC has released two lists of candidates who will be contesting in the three phases of the Assembly elections in J&K.

According to the Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), the party has chosen to retain around 60% of its candidates from the 2014 Assembly elections, including prominent leaders such as Omar Abdullah, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Nasir Aslam Wani, and Abdul Rahim Rather.

In contrast, the BJP has introduced new faces, with 80% of its candidates being newcomers, including those who have recently joined the party from other political groups.

Notable figures like Devender Singh Rana, a former NC leader and brother of Union Minister Jitendra Singh, former Congress minister Sham Lal Sharma, and former NC minister S.S. Salathia are among those who have secured BJP tickets.

Some senior BJP leaders, including J&K President Ravinder Raina and former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, as well as Kavinder Gupta, did not appear in the first lists of candidates.

At least 16 BJP candidates have filed their nomination papers in Phase 1.

The Congress and PDP have also released their candidates’ lists and many have submitted their nomination papers for Phase 1.

The election will take place in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP secured 25 seats, all in Jammu, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, predominantly in the Kashmir Valley. Following the recent delimitation, the total number of seats in Jammu and Kashmir has increased to 114, with 24 reserved for Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The remaining 90 seats are split between Jammu (43) and Kashmir (47). (KINS)