BJP announces sixth list of candidates for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its sixth list of candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The new list includes:

• Udhampur East: R.S. Pathania
• Bandipora: Naseer Ahmad Lone
• Handwara: Ghulam Mohammad Mir
• Sonawari: Abdul Rashid Khan
• Gurez (ST): Faqir Mohammad Khan
• Karnah: Mohd. Idrees Karnahi

Read more: BJP unveils Jammu and Kashmir election manifesto; Key highlights

Election Schedule

Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, the results for which will be declared on October 8.

Manifesto Highlights

The National Conference and the People's Democratic Party have mentioned the restoration of Article 370 in their manifestos. The BJP, on the other hand, said that Article 370 has become a thing of the past.

The upcoming elections are the first polls to be held in the Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who released the party manifesto in Jammu on Friday, launched a scathing attack on Congress and the National Conference's manifesto on Saturday.

Shah said that they want to spread terrorism, snatch reservations of Gujjars, Bakarwal, Paharis, and Dalits, release criminals, and start LOC trade with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

The BJP has made 25 promises, focussing on women, youths, Kashmiri Pandits, restoring temples and wiping out terrorism. BJP J-K chief Ravinder Raina described the manifesto as a 'people's manifesto'.

BJP, in its manifesto, focused on women-led development in Jammu and Kashmir.

It promised to implement 'Maa Samman Yojana' to provide Rs 18,000 per year to the senior most woman in every household in Jammu and Kashmir.

It also promised to provide assistance through the state government for Women SHGs on the issue of interest on bank loans.

Political Alliances

The National Conference and the Congress party are fighting the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir together. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has also extended its support to the Congress and National Conference alliance in the J-K polls.