J-K elections: BJP facing headwinds as dissent grows, support wanes

By Tarun Upadhyay (Jammu): BJP which prides itself as a disciplined and cadre-based party is facing dissent, infighting and open “revolt” in Jammu and Kashmir, which goes to poll next month.

There is a sense of “insecurity” and resentment among old-timers over “outsiders” being given primacy in ticket distribution.

This sense of “insecurity” stems from the fact that even J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina has still not been named in the three lists of candidates issued by the party.

Raina had won from Nowshera constituency, district Rajouri, in the 2014 assembly elections.

National Conference has already fielded Surinder Chowdhary from there.

In the recent parliamentary elections, NC candidate Mian Altaf had the lead from the Nowshera assembly constituency of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency.

Rajouri and Poonch districts are crucial for the party for a host of reasons.

Firstly, these two districts have witnessed a spike in terrorist activities including the killing of minorities.

BJP has projected itself as the “guardian” of Hindus.

In Jan 2023, seven Hindus were killed in Dangri, Rajouri, constituency of Ravinder Raina.

Uncertainty over his name Is also in a sense reflective of uncertainty in the party over its poll prospects.

BJP high command has given tickets to seven candidates who had in the past or just recently joined the party.

Devender Rana, brother of MoS PMO Dr Jatinder Singh and Surjit Singh Salathia had switched over to BJP from the National Conference, Both have been given tickets.

Sham Lal Sharma, who switched over to the saffron party from Congress has also been given a ticket. 

Abdul Gani, who joined a few days back from Congress has been given the ticket from Poonch.

Though they are politically strong candidates and have hold over their respective constituencies, it is the party’s ideology and its organisational structure which is a major factor for winning.

Old workers who have been denied tickets hold the view that seats, except Poonch, from where “outsiders” have been fielded were always strong forts of the party so anyone given a ticket stands a good chance so the political heft of “outsiders” doesn’t make much of the difference.

Former Deputy Chief ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta, former ministers Bali Ram Bhagat, Sukhnadan Chowdhary, Sham Chowdary, ex-MLAs Ajay Nanda, Neelam Langeh and Kuldeep Raj have not been given tickets.

Denying tickets to former Dy CMs has to an extent dampened the spirit of dedicated grassroots party workers.

It has also sent a message that the days of old-timers who fought for the party’s ideology in J&K when it didn’t have much of a political future let alone power are “over”.

The party has till now announced 45 candidates. Even the announcement of candidates witnessed twists and turns. The lists which were first announced were immediately withdrawn and new lists were issued. Though, in the three lists issued so far only one name has been changed.

The names were cleared in the CEC meeting of the party chaired by PM Modi.

Retracting the list suggests the party was wary of a strong response.

Secondly, making only one change in the retracted list also suggests the party didn’t want to make much change as it would have sent the message that PM Modi’s authority is being questioned.

The lists evoked strong reactions from the candidates whose names didn’t figure in and also from the ones whose candidature was dropped.

Rohit Dubey was first given a ticket from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi constituency.

In the new list, his name was dropped and the ticket was given to Baldev Sharma.

His supporters and local leadership including District Development Council members of the party threatened to resign.

Ravinder Raina had to rush to Katra to pacify agitators. Dubey has till the filing of this report and has refused to back the party candidate and said he will take the decision in the next few days.

From the Ramnagar constituency (reserved for SC), Sushil Bhardwaj, who had only recently left the government job was given the ticket which also led to local protest.

An old-timer from Jammu North Omi Khajuria protesting against the candidature of Sham Lal Sharma, who had come from Congress, said they can’t accept the imposition of candidates.

Similar protests are held in Samba. Resent is also brewing in Rajouri and Poonch districts where candidates who had recently switched over to the party have been given tickets.

The women's wing of the party also protested for giving a ticket to only one female- Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar.

The dissent and infighting come in the backdrop of the general mood in Jammu suggesting BJP will find it very hard to repeat its 2014 assembly election results when it won 25 seats.

In the recent parliament elections, BJP had only won at 29 out of the 43 assembly seats of the Jammu region, which is its plank.

Even though the party won both seats from the Jammu region, both candidates lost about two lakh votes each in the 2014 parliamentary elections.