BJP Faces Internal Crisis in J&K Over Candidate Selections

Internal strife has hit the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir as several senior leaders have resigned over candidate selections for the upcoming assembly elections. Notably, Kashmira Singh, the Samba district president, and Kanav Sharma, the Jammu district youth wing chief, resigned in protest against the nomination of former National Conference minister Surjit Singh Slathia and Yudhvir Sethi, respectively. Both leaders criticized the party for deviating from its core ideology and favoring candidates with questionable backgrounds and past affiliations with rival parties. Chander Mohan Sharma, another senior BJP leader, also resigned and expressed the party's drift from its principles as a reason. Despite these resignations, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh downplayed the unrest, emphasizing the party’s internal democratic processes. The party had previously withdrawn and revised its candidate list following protests.