BJP is making all possible efforts to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP, which has not fielded a candidate on any seat in the Kashmir region in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has played a big political gamble in the assembly elections. BJP has announced the first list of candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. The party has announced candidates on 15 seats in the first phase, in which more than half of the seats have been given tickets to the Muslim community. The BJP has planned to make the lotus bloom in the ‘valley’ by expressing faith in Muslims. It remains to be seen how effective BJP’s strategy will be in the elections.
The BJP announced a list of 44 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir polls at 10 am on Monday, but later withdrew the list. After this, the party has announced the names of candidates again. BJP has already announced the names of candidates for 15 of the total 24 assembly seats in the first phase and is yet to announce tickets for 9 seats. Keeping in view the political equation of the seat, BJP has gambled on candidates. This is the reason why more candidates from Muslim community than Hindus have been given tickets in the first list.
BJP gave tickets to 8 Muslims
BJP has given tickets to Muslims in 8 out of 15 seats in the first phase. In this way more than 50 percent confidence has been expressed among Muslims. In which Engineer Syed Shaukat Gayur from Pampore, Arshid Bhatt from Rajpora, Javed Ahmed Qadri from Shopian, Mohan from Anantnag West. Rafiq Wani, Advocate Syed Wajahat from Anantnag, Sophie Yusuf from Srigufwara Bijbehra, Tariq Keen from Inderwal and Salim Bhatt from Banihal have been nominated.
At the same time, the BJP has fielded seven candidates from the Hindu community, including a Kashmiri Pandit. Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, Gajay Singh Rana from Doda, Veer Saraf from Shangus Anantnag, Sunil Sharma from Pader Nagse seat, Dilip Singh Parihar from Bhadarwah, Rakesh Thakur from Ramban and Shakti Raj Parihar from Doda West have been nominated. BJP has given ticket from Shangus Anantnag to Veer Saraf, who is a Kashmiri Pandit. He has also expressed confidence in Sunil Sharma among the Kashmiri Pandits. In addition, five seats have been given tickets to leaders from the Thakur community, of which three are Parihars.
Equation of betting on Muslim
In Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP has not taken such a gamble on Muslim candidates but fielded them in a well-thought-out strategy. BJP’s political base is in Jammu region. That is why the party fielded its candidates on both the seats in the Jammu region in the Lok Sabha elections. Considering the political influence of Muslim votes in the Kashmir region, BJP has fielded Muslim candidates. In the Kashmir Panchayat elections too, the BJP made a bet on Muslims in Muslim-dominated areas, in which it succeeded to some extent. That is why confidence has been expressed on Muslims in the Assembly elections as well.
Will BJP’s lotus bloom in the valley?
The BJP has traditionally not had much support in the Kashmir region compared to the Jammu region, but political experts say the BJP’s cadre has grown here in recent years. BJP’s best performance was in the 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. It then emerged as the second largest party. At that time BJP formed the government along with PDP. BJP won 25 out of total 87 seats in Jammu.
BJP’s political base in the state remains only in the Jammu region, but the influence of Hindu votes in the Kashmir region is not much. Here Muslim voters play a crucial role. In the delimitation that took place after the abrogation of Article 370, Jammu got six additional seats, while Kashmir gained only one seat. Thus, the seats in Jammu region have now increased from 37 to 43, while the seats in Kashmir region have increased from 46 to 47. This way it doesn’t matter much anymore.
BJP made these issues the basis of elections
The BJP hopes to win 35 to 37 of the 43 seats in the Jammu region, but plans to win 10 to 12 of the 47 seats in the Kashmir region. To win the hearts of the people of Kashmir, especially the Muslims, the National Conference and its party have included in their manifesto the struggle for restoration of Article 370 and statehood. PDP is already up against 370. Because of this BJP has made a big political move by fielding a Muslim candidate in the Muslim dominated area of Kashmir.
The BJP is basing it on the change in the atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, the story of development and the end of family-based politics. BJP is asking people to choose the option of development or destruction by presenting the picture of the changes that have taken place in the last five years. Apart from this, the way in which Muslim candidates have been fielded in the seats of Kashmir region, it is being considered as the basic mantra of BJP’s return to power.
