Is BJP’s list fiasco a sign of internal crisis?

While political observers and experts say the removal of the list is indicative of growing resentment against the ruling party, BJP state media co-head Sajid Yusuf said The Quint that the cancellation of the list was due to a “technical error”.

“Our first list was supposed to be for only the south Kashmir constituency, which is scheduled for elections on September 18. But it also included the name of our candidate, who was fielded from Habba Kadal constituency in central Kashmir,” Yusuf said. “It was a mistake, so we withdrew the list and reissued it. If you see the final list of 44 candidates, it is the same as the first one and only one name has been changed.”

Yusuf said the revocation of the list had nothing to do with the storm it had triggered in the media. “The mechanisms on the basis of which our candidates are chosen are foolproof. We get feedback on the ‘Narendra Modi (NAMO)’ app that people have downloaded on their phones. Based on those recommendations, we choose our candidates. Again, if we were intimidated by any opposition, we would not have released the same list again,” he said, adding that the BJP would unveil the complete list of all candidates by August 29.