Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: BJP's damage control exercise after party workers protest over ticket distribution

Jammu: The BJP launched a damage control exercise on Wednesday after Jammu and Kashmir party president Ravinder Raina was forced to cut short his speech by angry workers seeking explanation over denial of ticket to Rohit Dubey from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat in Reasi district.

Dubey's name was replaced in the revised list of candidates with former MLA Baldev Raj Sharma.

The party immediately started taking actions to minimise the damage.

Dubey visited the party headquarters at Trikuta Nagar in Jammu this evening and posed with Sharma and other senior leaders of the party, which the BJP termed as a move to show the "unity and the strength of the organisation".

Union minister Jitendra Singh, national general secretary and in-charge J&K Tarun Chugh, Raina, member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma, election management committee convener Sarb Singh Naag and other senior BJP leaders were present on occasion, the party said in a statement late in the evening.

Chugh said the BJP is a disciplined party of ground-level workers who work together like a family.

"Together we are strong and the BJP is set to make history in the Assembly elections in the J&K. The BJP is working with the mission to make the J&K an example of peace and prosperity in the coming times," he said during Dubey’s visit to the party headquarters.

The BJP said all the party leaders present on the occasion showed their strength and committed themselves to the party's victory in the region.

Earlier in the day, Raina rushed to Katra where Dubey's supporters had come out on the roads and blocked the highway outside the newly set up party office to protest the party's decision to field Sharma in his place.

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat is going to polls along with 25 other segments in the second phase on September 25.

Meanwhile, the protest at the BJP office here continued for the third day on Wednesday with a fresh group of agitated party workers from Chhamb constituency of Jammu raising slogans against fielding former MLA Rajeev Sharma from there.

The workers, who assembled outside the party headquarters at Trikuta Nagar in Jammu, said they were hoping for a local leader instead of an "outsider" to get a ticket.

The first phase of elections covering 24 seats is taking place on September 18, while the final and the third phase covering the remaining 40 seats will be held on October 1 followed by counting of votes on October 4.

Dubey, who is district president of the BJP for Reasi, was named in the initial list of 44 candidates issued by the party on Monday which was subsequently withdrawn. However, in the rescinded list of 29 candidates issued on Tuesday, the party named Sharma in place of Dubey while all other names remained the same for the same set of constituencies announced earlier.

As the J&K BJP president reached the party office, he was greeted by hundreds of slogan-shouting workers demanding an explanation for denying ticket to Dubey and replacing him with Sharma.

"We know Dubey is a hardworking and dedicated member of the BJP whose family has been associated with the party for generations… we are in election mode and have to fight together with our party's mission of nation first, party second and self last," he said while addressing the workers.

Raina's speech was frequently interrupted by the party workers, demanding an answer in clear terms whether Dubey would be given a ticket or not. Soon he had to abandon his speech as the party workers stood up despite attempts by Dubey to pacify them.

"Dubey is a dedicated worker of the BJP whose family has a history of backing the party since the days of Jan Sangh. He will always remain with the party," Raina later told reporters in response to a question that many of his supporters are pressing him to fight as an independent from the constituency.

The workers removed the road blockade on the intervention of Dubey who said the party's decision had left the workers disappointed.

"What I am today is because of the party and it is not good to block the road and cause inconvenience to the commuters including Vaishno Devi pilgrims who are stranded. I was told to wait till tomorrow," Dubey told the gathering.

He said senior leaders are coming from Delhi and "we will come to know about the party's decision".

"I do not know the reason why my name was dropped after being included in the first list. It is premature to say what I will do next. Whatever the party workers will decide, I will respect their decision," he said while talking to reporters.

Former provincial president of Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Jugal Kishore Sharma also met Dubey and said "he is my younger brother".

"I am not affiliated to any party right now because I have left DPAP… I felt happy for him when his name was listed in the BJP candidate list and decided not to fight the elections against him," the former minister said.