J-K elections: Shopian BJP candidate Javaid Ahmad Qadri confident of victory, credits PM Modi's decade of work

Pulwama (Kashmir) [India], August 26 : Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for entrusting him with the candidacy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Shopian, Javaid Ahmad Qadri, on Monday expressed confidence in his victory, attributing it to the work done under PM Modi's ten-year tenure.
"I once again thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for showing trust in me. This is the mandate of the people of Shopian...I will surely win from the Shopian Assembly constituency. The ST community has always been close to me. Besides that, all other Kashmiri communities, everyone is with us, for the work Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done here over the past ten years," Qadri said while speaking to ANI.
Veer Saraf, the BJP candidate from Anantnag East, also expressed his gratitude to the party for selecting him as a candidate.
Confident of his victory in the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir elections, Saraf said, "I am happy that the party considered me capable enough to contest the elections. But all this happened due to the hard work of our workers. The party has recognised our efforts. It is our responsibility to work for the people. We are confident that the BJP will surely win," Saraf stated.
Sofi Yousuf, the BJP candidate from Srigufwara-Bijbehara, emphasised the support of senior party leaders and the impact of PM Modi's governance in the region.
"PM Modi, JP Nadda, Amit Shah, and other leaders have entrusted me with this responsibility. We will seek votes based on PM Modi's work in Kashmir since 2014. There is no curfew, and strikes have decreased since August 5, 2019. We will approach the people with the development achieved under PM Modi. People love PM Modi, and they will surely vote for BJP," Yousuf remarked.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir elections, which will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1.
The first list includes 15 candidates, with the party aiming to represent various communities and castes. It includes candidates from both the Jammu and Kashmir regions.
The party also declared its candidate for the Kokernag seat.
The party has fielded Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi from Pampore, Arshid Bhat from Rajpora, Javed Ahmad Qadri from Shopian, Mohd. Rafiq Wani from Anantnag West, and Syed Wazahat from Anantnag, while Veer Saraf is in the fray from Shangus-Anantnag East.
The party has fielded Sofi Yousuf from Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Tariq Keen from Inderwal, and Salim Bhat from Banihal. Shagun Parihar, the only woman on the list, will contest from Kishtwar.
The party has fielded Sunil Sharma from Padder-Nagseni, Daleep Singh Parihar from Bhadarwah, Gajay Singh Rana from Doda, Shakti Raj Parihar from Doda West, and Rakesh Thakur from Ramban constituency.
Choudhary Roshan Hussain Gujjar will contest from Kokernag.
The Election Commission has issued a notification for the first phase of elections, in which 24 seats will go to the polls.
Jammu and Kashmir is expected to witness multi-cornered contests in most seats. This is the first assembly election since the abrogation of Article 370.
In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, the BJP won both seats in Jammu, again demonstrating its strong support in the region. The National Conference also won two seats.
The votes will be counted on October 4.