As the dates for the Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir draw closer, all eyes are on who will represent the 90-member assembly in the now bifurcated region, which once held statehood status but lost it after the abrogation of Article 370. While, political parties are diligently working to position candidates who will help them regain their stronghold in the elections. Another crucial factor they are focusing on is targeting new constituencies that could aid them in forming the new government.
Amid intense political maneuvering among the parties ahead of the elections, one particular assembly constituency in the Jammu region that the BJP is keen to win is the Bisnah Assembly Constituency. The significance of this constituency lies in the fact that the BJP is aiming to secure its first electoral victory there in the last 10 elections, which spans over 50 years.
It is important to note that in the past 10 elections, the constituency has been won four times by Congress candidates, three times by Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) candidates, once by a JD(U) candidate, and twice by independent candidates. However, not for once by BJP. In 2014, under the Modi wave, the BJP attempted to achieve its first electoral victory by fielding Ashwani Kumar Sharma, a two-time independent candidate winner, under the BJP banner. He was reportedly confident of securing his third political victory and first for the BJP from the seat. However, JKNC candidate Kamal Verma defeated Sharma with a margin of 2,986 votes. Notably, Kamal Verma secured 29,380 votes while Ashwani Kumar Sharma received 26,394 votes in the 2014 elections.
However, it is pertinent to note that the 2014 elections completely u-turned the past winning history from the seat, which for two consecutive term saw BJP's Ashwani Kumar Sharma then contesting as Independent candidate winning the constituency. In the 2002 Assembly Elections, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, then running as an independent candidate, secured 17,961 votes and won against JKNC candidate Kamal Verma, who secured 13,298 votes. Further in 2008 also, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, (independent candidate), then won against JKNC's Kamal Verma, capturing 22.46% of the vote share.
Meanwhile, as for now, the BJP has not announced its candidate from the seat for the 2024 elections.
About the J&K Assembly Elections
It is pertinent to note that the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with the results being announced on October 8.
