J&K BJP head Ravinder Raina would not cast a party ballot
In the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina will not cast a ballot for his party since his hometown, which is located in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat, is not represented by a party candidate.
The third round of general elections in Jammu and Kashmir will take place on May 7, with elections for the reconfigured Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency. Additionally, the BJP has not fielded a candidate in the seats of Baramulla and Srinagar, where elections are scheduled for May 20 and May 13, respectively.
Raina stated on Saturday that sometimes “decisions are made to achieve a big goal” and that the BJP is backing “patriotic” parties in response to criticism that he had not fielded candidates for the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.
“We wanted to contest the elections from each of Kashmir’s three Lok Sabha seats using our own strength. However, occasionally other choices are taken in order to put aside personal interests in order to accomplish a major aim.
“We back political parties that uphold our nation’s values, strive to improve the situation in Kashmir, promote harmony and fraternity, and demonstrate a strong desire to contribute to society,” Raina had said.
The identities of these parties or candidates that the party workers and supporters may support and vote for would be disclosed, he added, at their next meeting with JP Nadda, the president of the BJP, and other central officials to discuss the plan.
Raina, a resident of Rajouri’s Nowshera neighborhood, will use his democratic right to support a non-BJP candidate in the event that the party’s nominee is not present, in line with the party’s plan. Leader of the National Conference Mian Altaf and PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti are directly competing from the seat.
Among the 19 contenders, notable figures include J&K Apni Party head Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidate Muhammad Saleem Parray.
