Sat Paul Sharma Appointed As BJP Chief In Jammu-Kashmir For Second Time

The BJP on Sunday appointed Sat Paul Sharma as the head of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the party. He was the party chief in the union territory for two-and-a-half years between 2015 and 2018. Sharma was appointed as working president of the party in September amid dissatisfaction over the ticket distribution as he was denied a party ticket in the recent assembly polls. 

“I am thankful to the central leadership for giving me this responsibility for the second time. I will try to overcome any shortcoming during my first tenure and will play my role to ensure the party can script history,” Sharma was quoted as saying by PTI. He stated that the recent assembly polls saw the rise of the BJP as people of the Union Territory gave the saffron party "a historic mandate of 29 seats (out of 90) with a 26 per cent vote share as it made big strides across the Union Territory, especially in the Valley". “I am a long-time party worker, and we will try to take the party to new heights with the support of the workers and the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Sharma added.

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Sharma was appointed J-K BJP president for the first term in December 2015, and his second term will be full of challenges as the Union Territory is gearing up for the urban local bodies and panchayat elections, which are likely to take place early next year.

The BJP won 29 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election 2024, which were conducted after a decade. This was also the first election since the abrogation of Article 370 from the region. The saffron party achieved its highest tally and became the second biggest party after JKNC, led by Omar Abdullah, currently the Chief Minister of the Union Territory. The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir saw a turnout of 63.9 per cent, surpassing the 59 per cent recorded in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.