Crisis Over Mata Vaishno Devi Seat: Former Congress Minister Meets Rebel BJP Leader Rohit Dubey

New Delhi: In a big development that could impact the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, former Congress minister Jugal Kishore Sharma met with rebel BJP leader Rohit Dubey. The meeting, which lasted over 30 minutes on Monday, is being seen as a move towards forming a new front against the BJP's official candidate for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji seat.

Rohit Dubey, who was initially a frontrunner for the BJP ticket in the upcoming elections, saw his candidature abruptly cancelled yesterday. The party instead announced Baldev Raj Sharma as the candidate for the seat in its third list of nominees. This sudden change has triggered unrest among Dubey's supporters, who have expressed their dissatisfaction with the BJP's decision.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Sharma and Dubey discussed the fallout from the cancellation and the possibility of challenging the BJP's official nominee. The meeting is viewed as a strategic manoeuvre that could lead to the creation of a new faction, aiming to consolidate anti-BJP sentiment in the region.

Supporters of Rohit Dubey have been vocal about their discontent, with many threatening to resign from the party if the decision is not reversed. They argued that Dubey, a popular figure with a strong base in the constituency, was unfairly sidelined by the BJP's central leadership.

The BJP’s decision to replace Dubey with Sharma is reportedly based on internal assessments and feedback from party workers in the region. However, the backlash from Dubey's camp suggests that the party might face internal strife in the run-up to the elections.

On Tuesday, the BJP unveiled a list of 29 candidates for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. This third list, released just ahead of the polls, includes 10 candidates for the second phase and 19 candidates for the third phase of the election. The only significant change was in the Mata Vaishno Devi assembly constituency, where the party replaced its Reasi district president, Rohit Dubey, with former MLA Baldev Raj Sharma. 

Sharma, who served as an MLA in 2008, was suspended from the party but was reinstated in 2014. Despite his reinstatement, he was not given a ticket in the last assembly election, making his selection this time particularly significant. Apart from this change, the BJP retained the other names listed in a previous version, which had been withdrawn a day earlier.