The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced its first list of 44 candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

In its initial candidate list, the BJP has selected Arshid Bhat for Rajpora, Javed Ahmad Qadri for Shopian, and Mohd. Rafiq Wani for Anantnag West. Additionally, Adv. Syed Wazahat will contest from Anantnag, Sushri Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, and Gajay Singh Rana from Doda. Kuldeep Raj Dubey is the party’s choice for Reasi, Rohit Dubey for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, and Chowdhary Abdul Ghani for Poonch Haveli.

BJP announces list of candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. (n/1)#JammuKashmirElections pic.twitter.com/a9e2w7raLe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 26, 2024

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4. These elections are the first to be held in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.