Sat Sharma replaces Ravinder Raina as J&K BJP chief after Assembly polls

In a significant leadership shift, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, November 3, appointed Sat Sharma as the new President of its Jammu and Kashmir unit following the recent Assembly election results in the region. Sharma will be taking over from Ravinder Raina, who has held the position since 2018.
Ravinder Raina has been appointed as a member of the BJP’s National Executive.
The announcement came through an official notice issued by BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh, who said that the appointments were made by BJP chief JP Nadda, effective immediately.
Earlier, the BJP had appointed Sat Sharma as the working president of Jammu and Kashmir unit in September.
The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit will hold a meeting in Srinagar on Sunday to elect its legislature party leader ahead of the first assembly session in the Union Territory to be held on November 4 after a six-year gap.
The BJP bagged its all-time high of 29 seats in the recently held Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
According to BJP sources, the meeting will be attended by all 28 MLAs and senior party leaders.
The leader of the opposition will also be chosen at the meeting, and the name will be forwarded to the party’s central leadership.
Five names are under active consideration but things will be cleared once the meeting takes place, the sources said. Sunil Sharma and Dr Devender Manyal have emerged as frontrunners for the LoP position, according to party insiders.
Meanwhile, the National Conference (NC) will also hold a crucial meeting today chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The party will finalise the name of the Speaker for the J&K Assembly.
Sources suggested that senior NC leader and former J&K Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather is likely to be appointed as the new Speaker. However, the NC is reportedly unlikely to offer the Deputy Speaker post to the BJP.