The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership is unhappy with the “unnecessary” comments made by its J&K vice president Sofi Yousuf, in which he said Jammu and Kashmir’s lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha would appoint “BJP candidates” as nominated legislators, giving the party a shot to power in a likely close result for the assembly polls, sources told News18 on Monday.

“Right now, the leadership is focused on the counting day (Tuesday). But let me assure you, the leadership isn’t happy with the strength his (Yousuf’s) unnecessary comments has given to the Congress-National Conference alliance,” said a BJP source. “The Congress has already used his comment to tarnish the truly democratic elections in J&K. Asking him for an explanation after the results tomorrow isn’t off the table.” The source added that no member, however senior, has the right to embarrass the party.

Yousuf is the face of the party in the Valley where the saffron outfit is almost non-existent. The whole brouhaha started after Yousuf in an interview with a news organisation claimed the BJP is about to form the government in the union territory. The L-G has the power to nominate five members to the assembly, which Yousuf claimed would be from the BJP and he even named them: Ashok Kaul, Rajni Shethi, Farida Khan, Suresh Shethi, and Geeta Thakur. In the interview, Yousuf went on to cite in what capacity they have been associated with the BJP.

“Everyone is ours. The government in Delhi is ours. (It is natural) their names will go (as nominated candidates) who are in the government,” he said confidently.

The attack from the Congress came from the very top. Party general secretary (organisation) and known to be Rahul Gandhi’s close associate KC Venugopal without naming Yousuf said his party is “vigilant” to all “dirty tricks” of the BJP and will not let it “hijack” democracy. “The misuse of institutions and the Centre’s powers to alter the mandate will not be tolerated,” he said on X.

Congress’s media department head Jairam Ramesh called it “subterfuge” and “bogus Chanakya Niti”. The J&K Congress termed it an “Open misuse of the institution”.

As the BJP is warming up to its shot at forming the first government in J&K after the dilution of Article 370, its top leadership is unhappy with the unwarranted controversy a comment of a local leader has caused.