Former deputy prime minister LK Advani once said he has more respect for the BJP workers from Jammu and Kashmir (read Jammu) than other parts of the country, as they remained committed to the party’s ideology knowing quite well that there are minimal chances of the party coming to power in the state, now a union territory. 
The BJP was sarcastically called by its political opponents in J&K as “Non Governance Party (NGP)" a loose comparison with an NGO as the party had no chance of governance but was active on streets. 
Till 2014 when the BJP got 25 seats and came to power for the first time in alliance with the PDP, the party could barely manage to cross double digit figure. In 2008, it got 11 seats, the maximum till then, while in 2002 it had won only one seat. 
But like its fortunes, its functioning has also changed in J&K. 
In changed fortunes, there is perceptible change in its “ideological commitment” and rewarding committed workers. In the changed circumstances, the party is also witnessing “revolt” and accusations from its workers. 
In the run up to the J&K assembly elections, many old timers have not only resigned from the primary membership of the party but have even accused the leadership of toeing the ideology of the National Conference contesting which Syama Prasad Mookerjee, ideological fountainhead of the party, laid down his life. 
Samba, which was earlier part of the Jammu district, is one of the few districts in the Jammu region that is considered hotbed of the BJP’s ideology. The party has given ticket to former minister SS Salthia, who had come from the National Conference. For three decades, it was a reserved seat for the Schedule Caste. Salathia had in the past won from neighbouring Vijaypur constituency. 
Ideologically committed BJP workers and also those aspiring for the party ticket were incensed with this decision. BJP’s Samba district president Kashmira Singh resigned in protest. “We gave our life contesting NC ideology but ironically ticket was given to its (NC) former member. This decision is a ‘murder’ of Syama Prasad’s ideology who vehemently opposed Sheikh Abdullah’s political thought,” said Kashmira.
Another former NC leader Devender Singh Rana, brother of MoS PMO Jitendra Singh, who also switched over to the BJP from the NC in October 2021 along with SS Salathia, has also been given ticket from Nagrota constituency.  He had won from this constituency in the past. 
Some old timers have even accused the party of giving primacy to other “factors” than the “commitment” to ideology in the ticket distribution. 
Chander Mohan Sharma, associated with the party for about five decades, resigned on being denied ticket from Jammu east. Announcing his decision, Sharma said: “Party’s ideology is shattered. It has got derailed. Undeserving candidates have been given ticket. J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina and the organisation secretary it seems have given tickets for ‘extraneous’ reasons and it will cost party politically.”   
Sham Lal Sharma, who switched over to the BJP from the Congress, has been given ticket from Jammu North. Omi Khajuria, a ticket aspirant from this constituency, strongly opposed this decision and created ruckus in the party office. “People against whom we were fighting politically for decades will now ‘rule’ us. It’s not acceptable,” said Omi.
Abdul Gani, who switched over from the Congress a few days back, has been given ticket from Poonch. Though, these are politically strong candidates but in the context of Jammu it’s the party’s ideology and its organisational structure which is a winning factor.   
An old timer, wishing not to be named, said: “All seats, except Poonch, from where “outsiders” have been fielded are strong forts of the party. Anyone contesting on the party ticket from there has a strong winning chance. So the narrative of political heft of “outsiders” doesn’t hold ground.” 
Former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, former ministers Bali Ram Bhagat, Sukhnandan Chaudhary, Sham Chaudhary, ex-MLAs Ajay Nanda, Neelam Langeh and Kuldeep Raj have not been given tickets. 
Rohit Dubey, who was first given party ticket from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi constituency and then immediately replaced with  Baldev Sharma, has threatened to contest as an independent. His supporters have threatened to resign from the party though the leadership is trying hard to placate him. 
In Ramnagar-SC reserved constituency, the party has given ticket to fresh face Sushil Bhardwaj who had only recently left the government, leading to local protest. Ramban district vice-president Suraj Singh Parihar has resigned on being denied a ticket. Balwan Singh, Block Development Council chairman, from Udhampur has also resigned on similar grounds. Sohail Malik, ex District Development Council member, resigned after the party gave ticket to Mushtaq Bukhari, who had joined from the NC, from Surankote constituency. 
The dissent and infighting comes in the backdrop of general mood  in Jammu suggesting the BJP will find it very hard to repeat its 2014 assembly election results when it won 25 seats.  In the recent parliament elections, the BJP had taken lead in only 29 out of the 43 assembly seats of the Jammu region, which is its plank. Even though the party won both the seats from the Jammu region, its candidates lost about two lakh votes each from what the BJP had secured in the 2014 parliamentary elections.