BJP fields Amarnath agitator's widow in J-K polls

New Delhi, Nov 01: Seeking to exploit the Amarnath issue in the forthcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, BJP has fielded Shilpi Verma, whose husband committed suicide during the agitation in the state. Other prominent names in the second list of BJP include former union minister of state for defence, Chaman Lal Gupta from Jammu (West), BJP J & K unit president Ashok Khajuria for Jammu (East) and former state unit president Nirmal Singh from Gandhinagar.

Shilpi Verma, whose husband Kuldip Kumar committed suicide in Jammu during the Amarnath shrine land allotment agitation, will contest on the BJP ticket from Bishnah in Jammu.

BJP national General Secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Arun Jaitley declared the names of 43 candidates in the second list today.

"Of these, 27 candidates will contest from the Jammu region and 12 from the Kashmir valley. We have decided to support three candidates of the Union Territories Front in the Leh-Ladakh region," Jaitley said in a press conference here.

Jaitley said BJP would not allow division of the nationalist vote in the state.

"We are trying to put up candidates for more and more seats. Where our party is weak we will support nationalist minded individuals who are contesting the elections as independents," he said.

The party has not fielded any member of the Sri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti despite claiming to have led the agitation hand-in-hand with them.

"It is well-known that all BJP members from the state were supporting the Amarnath agitation," Jaitley said.

(Agencies)