Jammu, Oct 9: J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Core Group Thursday zeroed in on the names of Devyani Rana, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) vice president and Nand Kishore Sharma, the sibling of sitting MP Jugal Kishore Sharma in its panel of probable candidates for Nagrota assembly segment.
The names of empanelled candidates will be sent to the central leadership for the final call. The party has also decided to go full throttle in contest for Budgam assembly segment, notwithstanding “its not-so-widespread presence in the Valley.”
The by-poll to both Nagrota and Budgam assembly segments will take place on November 11, 2025.
J&K Core group met on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at the party headquarter in Jammu. BJP national general secretary and in-charge J&K affairs Tarun Chugh presided over the meeting.
Party sources have stated that the J&K BJP core group after exhaustive deliberations has prepared a panel each for both seats going to by-polls.
“For Nagrota seat, the core group has given a panel of two probables – Devyani Rana and Nand Kishore. The names for the panel for Budgam seat have been left to the party general secretary. He must have prepared the panel to be sent to the central leadership,” sources informed.
Besides, the core group, according to sources, has also considered the names of the persons who can be nominated MLAs.
“Those panels have also been prepared by the core group. Yes, the issue related to them is pending in the court. But the court has not stayed. In any case, this is a preliminary exercise by the party. When this list is given (to the Centre) and what happens thereafter – that is a separate issue. So far, the names have been discussed,” sources responded, when asked if the pendency of that issue in the court of law would not impact this exercise.
Sources, however, refused to disclose further on that account.
BJP PARLIAMENTARY BOARD LIKELY TO TAKE CALL ON RS SEATS ON OCTOBER 10
With regard to final candidates for biennial elections to four vacant seats of Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, sources informed that the BJP Parliamentary Board would meet on October 10, 2025 to take a final call on the party candidates out of the panel, submitted by the J&K unit.
Out of the panel, the names of former Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh; former J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina; J&K BJP president Sat Sharma and J&K BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi are tipped to be the front-runners.
However, none can rule out last minute surprises by the BJP leadership.
So far, the party has already declared that it will contest on all four seats.
Post-J&K BJP Core group meeting, J&K BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi, while speaking to Greater Kashmir, had clearly stated that the party would fight on all four seats and would seriously contest on three seats with an intent to win.
This was the party’s assertion notwithstanding the fact that the numbers are stacked against it and the ruling-National Conference led coalition has a clear numerical edge over it, enough to win three seats.
Sethi had maintained that the politics was not a game of arithmetic but of probabilities.
CONGRESS YET TO MAKE FORWARD MOVEMENT
On the contrary, the Congress has yet to take a forward movement vis-a-vi its informal negotiations with the alliance partner National Conference on “seat-sharing arrangements for both Rajya Sabha biennial elections and assembly by-polls.”
The party is waiting for the return of its senior leader and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for transition to formal negotiations.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra, when contacted by Greater Kashmir to know an updated status on this account, said, “I don’t know…I think there is no update yet as Mr Rahul Gandhi is away. I think that things will move after his return. He is returning tomorrow.”
Have the negotiations not transitioned from ‘informal’ to ‘formal’ level?
In response to this query, Karra’s precise answer was, “Not as yet.”
According to him, the status is ditto for even Budgam and Nagrota assembly by-polls.
The National Conference’s stance too remains the same – the party leadership will take final call on all these accounts.
BJP NOT PARTY OF DYNASTS; WILL CONTEST IN BUDGAM TOO
Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary and in-charge J&K affairs Tarun Chugh, while speaking to media persons after presiding over the J&K BJP Core group meeting, stated that his party was a democratic party and not an organization of dynasts.
“BJP is a democratic cadre-based party where its workers and leaders give suggestions and participate in deliberations. Recommendations are sent to the party high command, which takes a final call. The party has visionary leadership in the form of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Chugh said.
With regard to questions about the party’s decision about contesting Budgam assembly segment, he evaded direct reply as he said, “For our party, every election is a festival of democracy and we celebrate it with full fervour.”
Similarly, about the questions pertaining to choice of candidates and representation to different segments, Chugh said that the BJP represented every thought, segment and promoted all – including youth, daughters and different sects and communities.
“We have deliberated in an exhaustive manner about the probable candidates, related aspects and sent the recommendations to the central leadership, which will take a final call very soon,” he stated, responding to questions about the number of seats to be contested and final candidates.
The leader of Opposition in J&K Legislature, Sunil Kumar Sharma, however, responding to related media queries, asserted, “BJP will contest on both seats – Nagrota and Budgam. There is no denial to the fact that BJP is not that strong in Kashmir valley so far. But we will contest on the Budgam seat as well with full might.”
