BJP, BSP to revamp party units in J&K

JAMMU: In the wake of the rout the BJP and the BSP faced in the recent Assembly elections in J&K, the two parties plan to revamp their state units and appoint new chiefs soon. Between them, the two parties had a dozen members, with the BJP accounting for eight and the BSP for four in the last Assembly.
Both the parties have only one member each in the newly-constituted Assembly.The BJP had four legislators from Jammu district (Jammu east, Jammu west, Jammu cantt and Suchetgarh), one from Kathua (Hiranagar), two from Udhampur (Udhampur and Chenani) and one from Doda district in the last House.
Its sole representative in the new House now is Jugal Sharma who won from the Nagrota constituency of Jammu district by a narrow margin of just 67 votes.
On the other hand, the BSP had won two seats in Jammu (Raipur-Domana and Samba), one in Kathua and one in Doda district (Bhaderwah). The only BSP candidate who was victorious this time is Manjit Singh, who won from Vijaypur constituency in Jammu district.
State BJP and BSP chiefs, Daya Krishan Kotwal and Sheikh Abdul Rehman, respectively, had contested from Bhaderwah but lost to the Congress candidate. The poor performance of the two parties is now being blamed on the ineffective leadership.
The BJP''s poor performance has sent shock waves in the party and the factions led by Union Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta and Kotwal have been blaming each other for the defeat of the party candidates. It is an open secret that the two leaders have sharp differences and their factions spent more time in sabotaging the chances of candidates of one another''s factions than attacking the rival parties.
Their differences spilled out into the open when party general secretary (in charge of J&K) O P Kohli and Manohar Lal held a meeting here to dissect the party''s performance some days ago. Charges were traded freely even as defeated candidates and senior party leaders watched in dismay.
Incidentally, another major factor for the defeat of the party''s candidates was the emergence of the RSS-backed Jammu State Morcha (JSM), which cut sharply into the party''s support base. Party candidates Ashok Khajuria (in Jammu east) and Pawan Kumar Gupta (in Udhampur) could have sailed through had the JSM and the BJP managed to close their ranks in the run-up to the elections.
In constituencies like Jammu West and Bhaderwah, the presence of rebel candidates like Hans Raj Dogra, allegedly backed by the Gupta faction, led to the defeat of JSM candidate Virender Gutpa and Kotwal because of the image of disunity they presented before the voters, admit senior party leaders.
The rout of the party can pose serious problems for Gupta, three-time MP from Udhampur constituency, who had won each time with improved margin. He has to face parliamentary elections two years from now but it is unlikely to be a cakewalk this time unless corrective steps are initiated now, party sources close to him say.
The BSP''s rout is being blamed on State Party Chief Sheikh Abdul Rehman''s alleged proximity to National Conference but his removal is unlikely to create too many problems because of the stranglehold Kanshi Ram has over the party. If it were not for the stout opposition from Rehman, the BSP could have reached an understanding on a limited number of seats with the BJP and this would have benefited both the parties, according to a senior BSP leader who requested anonymity.