JP Nadda called Ankur Sharma a “nationalist” and praised what he called his “laudable work” which he said was in line with BJP’s philosophy. (News18)
A software engineer and law graduate, Sharma is the face of the Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal and has been vocal against the alleged change in demographics in Jammu, calling it ‘Land Jihad’
In the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJ), there are three categories of mergers – one where the spokesperson welcomes new faces; two, where new recruits are welcomed by the BJP general secretary in Delhi or the state president in the state capital; and finally, the third where either party chief JP Nadda or Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the new joinee.
Of these, it is the third most important and sought after, with Captain Amarinder Singh of Punjab, Jyotiraditya Scindia of Madhya Pradesh, and Suvendu Adhikari of West Bengal falling in this category.
On Sunday, the 37-year-old advocate joined the elite list as Nadda welcomed him into the BJP fold. But who is Ankur Sharma whom BJP considers important even though he did not win a single election?
WHO IS ANKUR SHARMA?
A software engineer and law graduate, Sharma is the face of an organization that many would describe as Right-wing and supportive of Hindu causes – the Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal. The organization proposed “amending the Constitution to define minorities as communities of less than 5 percent of the country’s population” and “declaring Bharat as the ‘Natural Motherland’ for all Sanatanis, enabling full Citizenship rights for them”, like Israel. .
On Sunday, Nadda called Sharma a “nationalist” and praised what he called his “laudable work” which he said was in line with the BJP’s philosophy. “We are confident that he will continue his good work for the welfare of the people and further strengthen the party,” he said.
Last year, the Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal demanded that Kashmir be split into two Union Territories – one dedicated to the “victims of Hindu genocide in the 1990s” – and Jammu a separate state. Sharma also advocated “one more reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir”.
On behalf of the organization, Sharma contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but lost. While he is 37 years old and the candidate of the organization may have lost in Jammu and Udhampur, his outfit has created a niche in the Jammu region which prefers its views compared to BJP’s ‘Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas’ .
RIGHT FIT AT THE RIGHT TIME?
Sharma’s induction ahead of the last two phases of J&K elections is a well-considered move that will help the BJP in the crucial third phase when districts like Baramulla, Udhampur, Jammu, Samba and Kathua will go to polls. To avoid the division of ‘nationalist’ votes, the BJP needs Sharma on its side. Now, 24 seats, spread across Jammu, Samba, and Kathua, can swing the BJP. The BJP won 18 out of 25 seats in the 2014 assembly elections. If the party has to make an impressive mark, they must win as many seats as possible among those offered in the third phase.
But seizing Sharma’s hardline appeal also means owning a legacy. He has been vocal against the alleged demographic changes in Jammu and has not shied away from articulating his views on Gujjars and Bakerwals. Despite being predominantly Muslim, the BJP has sided with the community, declaring them a disadvantaged section of J&K under Article 370.
Sharma also coined the term ‘Land Jihad’ in 2014, which refers to the massive demographic change in Jammu which is largely dominated by Hindus. He also represented one of the accused in the Kathua minor child rape case. Sharma’s clothes said the accused Hindus were wrong. A year later, the software engineer’s hardline views earned him a spot on Hizbul Mujahideen’s hit list.
