All 28 BJP candidates in Kashmir lose

JAMMU: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had put no less than 28 candidates in the Kashmir valley this time, up from 13 in 1996, but all its candidates lost and none could save his/her deposit.
There was some euphoria on Thursday when initial trends suggested that the party''s candidate from Chadura (in Budgam district) Shamima Wani was leading and at one time some television channels even announced that she had won.However, this was not to be and when final results were compiled, Shamima had lost.
Shamima was the only woman candidate who got the BJP mandate to fight the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir this time.
Ashraf Azad, its second candidate from Budgam district who contested from Budgam constituency, also lost and was nowhere in the race.
Earlier, the party even claimed that H L Chatha, its candidate from Habba Kadal constituency in Srinagar district would sail through due to low polling and heavy support from votes received from migrant Kashmiri Pandits. The voters decided otherwise and despite very low polling, the party had to face defeat and an independent Raman Mattoo emerged victorious in Habba Kadal.
In fact, the party had nominated several Kashmiri Pandits as its candidates from various constituencies of the Valley hoping that the twin factors of very low polling and good support from the migrant Pandit community would help some of its candidates to sail through. As part of this strategy, it named Lalit Moza from Amira Kadal and G K Muju from Sonawar in Srinagar district and gave its mandate to H N Kaul for the Wachi seat in Pulwama district while in Anantnag constituency its ticket went to Vikram Bhatt.
In the 1996 Assembly elections, the number 13 had proved unlucky for the BJP as all its candidates who contested in the Valley lost. Jacking up the number of contestants to more than double that figure this time failed to improve the party''s prospects and the results were the same again as all its candidates lost in the Valley, and comprehensively.
In 1996, it had not fielded any candidate in Kupwara district but the party chose to contest Tangdar-Karnah and Langate-Sogam seats this time.
In Anantnag district, it had contested six seats last time but chose to field candidates in all the 10 constituencies this time. The higher number of candidates, however, did not cut ice with the voters and all of them fell like nine pins at the hustings.
In Srinagar district, the party had chosen to field candidates in seven of 10 constituencies this time, up from three last time. On the other hand, it also chose to field candidates in three of the 10 assembly seats in Baramullah district.
Explaining the reasons for fielding more candidates in the Valley, senior party leader Manohar Lal, who handled the BJP''s poll campaign in the state this time, said it was done mainly to improve its acceptance among the masses in Kashmir.
In fact, the party had also reached an understanding with border people front, on four seats but all the front''s candidates sank without a trace.