The third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, scheduled for October 1, will be crucial in determining whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance will take the lead in forming the next government.
With high-pitch campaigning concluded for 40 assembly constituencies, 16 in Kashmir’s Bandipur, Kupwara and Baramulla and 24 in the predominantly Hindu districts of Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, and Kathua—considered the Dogra heartland stronghold of the BJP—the outcome of this phase could shape the final political landscape.
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Several big names are in the fray, with the BJP contesting all 24 seats and Congress fielding 19 candidates in the Jammu region. The NC, aligned with Congress in a pre-poll alliance, is contesting five seats, with only Nagrota seeing a "friendly contest" between NC and Congress candidates.
In this decisive phase, key battles are unfolding between BJP and Congress candidates in Jammu. In Nagrota, BJP's Devender Singh Rana faces Congress’s Balbir Singh.
In RS Pura-Jammu South, BJP’s Narinder Singh Raina, a newcomer, is up against Congress heavyweight Raman Bhalla, a former minister. In Chhamb, BJP’s Rajeev Sharma is battling Congress’s Tara Chand, a former deputy chief minister.
The Basohli seat sees a direct contest between BJP’s Darshan Singh and Congress veteran Choudhary Lal Singh, a former minister and two-time MP.
In Billawar, BJP’s Satish Sharma is competing against Congress’s Manohar Lal Sharma, another former minister. Meanwhile, Udhampur West has a tight race between Pawan Gupta (BJP) and Sumit Magotra (Congress).
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Similarly, in Marh, BJP’s Surinder Bhagat is up against Congress’s Mula Ram, a former minister. In Hiranagar, BJP’s Vijay Sharma faces Congress’s Rakesh Choudhary.
Both BJP and Congress have introduced new candidates, such as Arvind Gupta (BJP) and Thakur Manmohan Singh (Congress) in Jammu West. Rebels like Pawan Khajuria (BJP) in Udhampur East and Satish Sharma (Congress) in Chhamb are stirring up the contests.
Other prominent contenders include Ajay Sadhotra (NC) in Jammu North, Rajesh Pargotra (NC) in Vijaypur, and Joginder Singh (Kaku) (NC) in Nagrota, making this phase one of the most competitive in the election.
Both the BJP and the Congress parties face challenges from rebels. For BJP, key rebel candidates include Pawan Khajuria in Udhampur East, who is running as an Independent after being denied the party mandate.
Narinder Singh Bhau in Chhamb and Shivdev Singh in Jammu North are also contesting as Independents. Although Chander Mohan Sharma initially ran as an Independent in Jammu East, he rejoined the BJP, though his name remains on the ballot. These internal divisions could harm the BJP in some constituencies.
The BJP has fielded new faces to reinvigorate its campaign, including Arvind Gupta and Yudhvir Sethi in Jammu West and Jammu East, respectively, and Mohan Lal Bhagat, a former officer, in Akhnoor.
Congress faces similar challenges to the BJP. Satish Sharma, son of former two-time MP Madan Lal Sharma is running as an Independent in Chhamb after being denied a party ticket, creating a three-way contest in this key seat. Congress has also introduced new candidates, including Thakur Manmohan Singh in Jammu West and Mool Raj, a former BJP leader, in Bahu.
