Vikram Randhawa from Bahu, Bharat Bhushan from Kathua, Rajeev Bhagat from Bishnah & Surinder Bhagat from Marh
New Delhi, Sep 8: The BJP on Sunday released a fresh list of 10 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, replacing ex-deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta with former member of legislative council (MLC) Vikram Randhawa from Bahu seat of Jammu district.
Gupta was elected from Gandhi Nagar, renamed as Bahu assembly segment, in 2014 elections.
With the release of the sixth list for the third phase of elections, the BJP has so far named 62 candidates, including 20 for the Kashmir Valley, where the BJP is yet to open its account in assembly elections.
Randhawa found himself embroiled in controversies on three occasions between 2019 and 2021, leading to filing of two FIRs against him at separate police stations in Ladakh and Jammu and was also forced to tender an public apology to Union minister Jitendra Singh for leveling serious allegations of corruption against him.
The BJP's fresh list of candidates also included former MLA R S Pathania who was fielded from Udhampur East and former bureaucrat Bharat Bhushan from Kathua, doctor-turned politician Rajeev Bhagat from Bishnah and Surinder Bhagat from Marh – the three seats reserved for Scheduled Caste community.
Both Kathua and Marh had been won by BJP's Rajiv Jasrotia and Sukh Nandan Kumar in 2014 assembly elections.
Bhushan, posted as director, social welfare, Jammu, took voluntary retirement on September 7.
In Kashmir valley, the BJP fielded Mohd Idrees Karnahi from Karnah, Ghulam Mohammad Mir (Handwara), Abdul Rashid Khan (Sonawari), Naseer Ahmad Lone (Bandipora) and Faqir Mohammad Khan (Gurez-Scheduled Tribe reserved seat).
