Sanjay Pandita Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 29: As the campaign for the Nagrota Assembly by-election gains momentum, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a concerted effort to bring back its annoyed and sidelined leaders into the election fold, aiming to ensure a resounding victory for its candidate, Divyani Rana. The party’s top leadership has taken the task personally, determined not only to retain the Nagrota seat but also to uphold the legacy of late Devender Singh Rana, whose record-breaking victory in 2024 remains unmatched across Jammu and Kashmir. According to party insiders, J&K BJP president and newly elected Rajya Sabha member Sat Pal Sharma has been spearheading the reconciliation and mobilization drive in the constituency. Over the past two days, Sharma has personally met several disgruntled and inactive leaders and workers, urging them to rejoin the campaign with renewed vigor. His outreach, sources said, is part of a broader strategy to consolidate the BJP’s organizational strength and counter any internal dissension that could affect the party’s performance in the upcoming polls. “The party’s objective is clear—to ensure that Divyani Rana not only wins the seat but also matches or surpasses the record of her late father,” said a senior BJP functionary. In the 2024 Assembly elections, late Devender Singh Rana had secured a thumping victory from Nagrota, polling 48,113 votes against 17,641 votes bagged by his nearest rival, Joginder Singh of the National Conference, thereby registering a historic winning margin of 30,472 votes—the highest across Jammu and Kashmir. Now, as Divyani Rana steps into her father’s political shoes, the BJP faces the formidable challenge of maintaining that record margin while managing internal equations and voter expectations. The coming days, observers believe, will test both the party’s organizational discipline and its ability to rally behind a legacy that still resonates deeply with the people of Nagrota. |