Ashok Khajuria, Kavinder out; Lal Singh, Talib Hussain in
STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI/JAMMU: Pursuing mission of +44 in elections to Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday released first list of 45 candidates for all the three regions of the State.
The list is full of surprises as bigwigs like Ashok Khajuria, a sitting MLA from Jammu East and Kavinder Gupta, former Mayor and much talked about candidate for Jammu West are missing while two senior Congress and National Conference leaders who changed fences recently, stand accommodated. None of the seven sitting legislators, who were suspended from the party for violating the whip during elections to three vacant seats of Legislative Council held on 13th April 2011 find their place in the first list.
The list was released after hectic deliberations of the BJP’s Central Election Committee held in New Delhi under chairmanship of the party president Amit Shah. Prominent among those present included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
According to a BJP spokesperson, Eshfaq-ur-Rehman Poswal has been given mandate from Karnah Assembly Constituency, Desh Kumar Nehru from Rafiabad, Nazir Ahmad Raina from Kangan, Hakim Masood from Hazratbal, Ashok Bhat from Khanyar, Moti Kaul from Habbakadal and Hina Bhat from Amirakadal in Srinagar. She is daughter of former MP and senior National Conference leader Mohammed Shafi Bhat.
While Mustaq Noorabadi will be the BJP candidate for Noorabad in south Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Dar has been fielded from Homeshalibugh, Fayaz Ahmad Bhat from Devsar, Sofi Yousuf from Pahalgam, Tenjing Galik from Nobra, Chering Dorge from Leh and Sunil Sharma from Kishtwar. Sharma had got into prominence during the Kishtwar riots last summer, precisely on the occasion of Eid.
BJP has nominated Tariq Keen from Inderwal, the seat being held by G M Saroori of Congress for the three consecutive terms. He however had to resign from the Omar led coalition government after name of his daughter surfaced in MBBS impersonation scam. Shakti Parihar will be the party candidate for Doda, Dileep Parihar for Bhadarwah, Neelam Langeh for Ramban (SC), Shaukat Deng for Banihal, Pradeep Singh for Gulabgarh, Ajay Nanda for Reasi, Kuldeep Dubey for Gool Arnas, Pawan Khajuria for Udhampur, Dinanath Bhagat for Chenani (SC), R.S Pathania for Ramnagar, and Jeevan for Bani.
The significant candidate figuring in the list is Lal Singh who has been fielded from Basohli Assembly Constituency. After quitting Congress in the wake of denial of mandate in April-May Lok Sabha elections, Lal Singh had joined the BJP much to the resistance of the local unit of the party as the former Congress minister had indulged in mudslinging against Narendra Modi while he was on his crucial election campaign. However, he stands marginalised as his demand for nominating his wife has not been endorsed by the BJP Central Election Committee. Lal Singh enjoys dubious distinction of an opportunist and power hungry politician who can ditch any party or leader at the spur of his whims.
As per the list issued in New Delhi late Sunday evening, Rajiv Jasrotia will contest from Kathua, Kuldeep Kumar from Hiranagar (SC), Chandra Prakash Ganga from Vijaypur and Rajesh Gupta from Jammu East. The seat had been held by Ashok Khajuria since 1996, who is not figuring in the current list.
Senior party leader Sat Sharma will contest from Jammu West, a seat held by former Union Minister of State for Defence Production Chaman Lal Gupta, who was sacked from the party on alleged cash for vote scam. Kavinder Gupta was a strong contender for the seat.
The only member of Jammu State Morcha, Ashwani Kumar, who recently joined BJP, has got mandate for Bishnah, the seat won by him in 2008 election held in the wake of Amarnath land row agitation. Dr. Gagan Bhagat is the party nominee from R.S. Pura (SC), Shyam Chowdary, a sitting legislator, from Suchetgarh, Sukhnandan Chowdary, also a sitting MLA from Marh, Bali Bhagat, the party General Secretary from Raipur Domana (SC), Rajiv Sharma from Akhnoor, Dr. Krishan Lal from Chhamb (SC) and Ravinder Raina from Nowshera.
Talib Hussain, a senior National Conference leader, former MP and Minister, who recently joined the saffron bandwagon will be BJP candidate from Rajouri, Abdul Ghani Kohli from Kalakote, Taj Md Khan from Surankote, Zulfikar Ali Pathan from Mendhar and Pradeep Sharma from Poonch Haveli.
