High command’s decision will be acceptable to all: Sethi
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The core group of Jammu and Kashmir BJP met on Saturday and discussed various issues, including the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls for the four seats of the Union Territory, a senior party leader said.
He asserted that the party’s high command will finalise the list of candidates, which will be acceptable to all.
J&K BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi said the meeting was chaired by National General Secretary Tarun Chugh and was attended by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, J&K BJP president Sat Sharma, national executive member Ravinder Raina and others.
The Election Commission (EC) announced on September 25 that the elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory would be held on October 24, more than four years after they fell vacant.
“The core group meeting took place and discussed various issues, including the prevailing political situation and the upcoming elections for the four seats of the Rajya Sabha from J&K,” Sethi told reporters at the party headquarters.
He said the Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma could not attend the meeting as he was not present .
“The core group members put forth their viewpoint about the possible candidates. The deliberations will be forwarded to the party high command through the committee concerned and it will accordingly finalise the list of candidates who will fight the elections. The final decision of the party high command will be acceptable to all,” he said.
Sethi said this was the initial meeting on the issue and there are no talks going on with any regional party on the subject.
He said the party intends to fight the elections on all four seats.
The last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls is October 13. The counting of votes will be taken up in the evening of October 24, an hour after the polling concludes.
Polling for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory is being held nearly a year after the Assembly polls. The seats fell vacant in February 2021, when the terms of the then MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway ended.
Since Jammu and Kashmir was under the President’s Rule at the time and there was no Assembly in place, the polls for the four seats could not be held. The J&K Assembly was formed in November last year after the first Assembly election for the Union Territory, which was established in 2019.
According to official statement, those who also attended the meeting included Ashok Koul, General Secretary (Organization), J&K BJP, Dr. Narinder Singh, BJP National Secretary, Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP (Lok Sabha), Er Ghulam Ali Khatana, MP (Rajya Sabha), Dr. Nirmal Singh, former Dy CM, Dr. Darakshan Andrabi, Ravinder Raina, former President, J&K BJP, General Secretaries Sanjita Dogra, Baldev Singh Billawaria, Anwar Khan, and Gopal Mahajan, Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal, MLA, Sunil Sethi, Chief Spokesperson, Girdhari Lal Raina, Spokesperson, Vibodh Gupta, former MLC, and Neha Mahajan, President, Mahila Morcha participated in the meeting.
The meeting held a detailed review of the fortnight-long Sewa Pakhwada 2025 programmes held across Jammu & Kashmir from September 17 (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday) to October 2 (birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri). The campaign had extensive participation from party cadre and citizens alike, with activities focusing on cleanliness drives, blood donation camps, plantation drives, Ayushman Bharat awareness, and welfare initiatives for the poor and marginalized.
Tarun Chugh, while addressing the meeting, said that Sewa Pakhwada was a powerful platform to connect directly with the people through meaningful service. He stressed that the campaign was not only a tribute to our beloved Prime Minister but also a reaffirmation of BJP’s core philosophy of Seva, Sushasan aur Gareeb Kalyan. He emphasized the need to sustain this spirit of service throughout the year and ensure that every BJP activist becomes an ambassador of public welfare and good governance.
Sat Sharma highlighted the party’s ongoing Aatmanirbhar Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, launched on September 25, the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, and scheduled to culminate on December 25, the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said that on the call of Prime Minister Modi, BJP will make this campaign a mass movement to promote Vocal for Local and empower every section of society. He underlined that self-reliance draws its strength from villages, farmers, youth, women, and the poor, reflecting the principles of Swadeshi and decentralization envisioned by Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, in his remarks, said that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, Jammu & Kashmir is witnessing a historic transformation in governance and development. He stressed that the implementation of public welfare schemes must reach every beneficiary, ensuring transparency and last-mile delivery. He said that the collective resolve is to intensify organizational activities, strengthen public outreach, and make every citizen a partner in India’s journey towards self-reliance.
Ashok Koul called for a unanimous commitment to further enhance coordination between party functionaries, accelerate grassroots engagement, and carry the message of Seva, Swadeshi, and Self-Reliance to every household in Jammu & Kashmir.