J&K polls: BJP suspends Pawan Khajuria, 2 other rebel leaders

Jammu, Sep 18 (PTI) Three senior BJP leaders were suspended on Wednesday for contesting assembly elections against the party’s official candidates in Jammu and Kashmir, a party spokesman said.

J&K BJP vice president Pawan Khajuria along with senior party leaders, Balwan Singh and Narinder Singh Bhau, were suspended from the membership of the party on the recommendation of a disciplinary committee headed by Sunil Sethi, the spokesman said.

Khajuria and Singh had entered the election fray as an independent and a candidate of National Panthers Party (NPP), respectively from Udhampur East assembly segment where BJP has fielded former MLA R S Pathania.

Bhau is fighting as an independent from Chhamb constituency of Jammu against party candidate and former MLA Rajeev Kumar. Senior Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Tara Chand is also trying his luck from the seat.

The BJP spokesman said party’s working president Sat Paul Sharma ordered the suspension of the three leaders from the membership of the party for an “act of indiscipline” in contesting elections against the official candidates of the party.

The BJP has faced rebellion in nearly a dozen assembly constituencies with several of its prominent leaders announcing resignation and some jumping into the fray as independents to fight the elections.