Sat Sharma appointed J&K BJP president

Jammu (The Uttam Hindu): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday appointed Sat Sharma as president of its J&K unit, replacing Ravinder Raina. The decision was taken by BJP president J. P. Nadda and will come into force with immediate effect, party sources said. Ravinder Raina lost the Legislative Assembly election from the Nowshera Assembly constituency of Rajouri district to National Conference (NC) candidate Surinder Choudhary. Choudhary is now the Deputy Chief Minister in the Omar Abdullah-headed J&K government.

Ravinder Raina has been appointed as a member of the BJP's national working committee. BJP got 29 seats in the 90-member J&K Assembly while the NC got 42, Congress six, People's Democratic Party (PDP) three, CPI (M) one, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) one, People's Conference (PC) one and independents won seven seats. Six independent candidates later joined the NC. One independent candidate, Satish Sharma, who defeated former deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader, Tara Chand in the Chhamb Assembly constituency of Jammu district, is now a minister in the Omar government. The BJP got all its 29 Assembly seats from the Jammu division while the Congress managed to win just one Assembly seat in Jammu division. The NC and Congress fought the Assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance.

The Congress has supported the NC government but decided not to join it as long as J&K remained a union territory. The CPI (M) and AAP with one seat each have also supported the NC government. Immediately after coming to power, J&K cabinet passed a resolution for the restoration of statehood. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah personally submitted the resolution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The NC has also decided to bring in a resolution for the restoration of Article 370 in the Legislative Assembly session that begins on Monday, in line with its poll promises.