J&K medical college row: BJP seeks cancellation of merit list as 42 of 50 Vaishno Devi MBBS seats allotted to Muslim candidates

Jammu & Kashmir is in the grip of a heated communal-political row after the BJP demanded the cancellation of the merit list for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), where 42 of the 50 inaugural MBBS seats allocated strictly through the national NEET-UG process went to Muslim candidates. The college, funded by offerings to the famous Hindu shrine, has become the flashpoint for competing claims over merit, religious sentiment, and secular admissions policy.

Earlier, A high-level BJP delegation, led by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and submitted a formal memorandum demanding immediate cancellation of the current merit list and a permanent policy restricting all future MBBS admissions at SMVDIME to Hindu students who “profess faith in Sanatan Dharma and Mata Vaishno Devi.”

BJP leader Sunil Sharma said, “The devotees who fund the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board through their offerings expect this institution to serve and strengthen Sanatan Dharma.”

Authorities and legal experts have firmly rejected the demands, emphasising that SMVDIME is not a minority institution and cannot reserve seats on religious grounds; all 50 seats fall under the UT’s open merit pool, with admissions handled exclusively by JKBOPEE through centralised NEET-UG counselling based purely on rank and preference.

Officials point out that counselling took place after the third round and around 70% of the highest-scoring domiciled candidates shortlisted were Muslim. While the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has stayed silent, BOPEE has reiterated that the standard procedure followed for all government medical colleges in J&K was strictly adhered to.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sharply condemned the BJP’s push for religion-based quotas at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute, pointing out that when the university was established and land allotted by the Assembly, it was explicitly resolved that seats would never be allocated on religious lines. “If every decision is now to be taken through the prism of religion, will central government schemes also be distributed only to one community?” he asked, underlining that admissions were purely merit-based via NEET and no blame attaches when some candidates simply outperform others.

Kashmir-based leaders have strongly condemned the BJP’s stance. People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone called it an attempt to “communalise medical sciences.” As APNI Party president Altaf Bukhari compared the demand to “the same logic Jinnah used,” warning it threatens secular values and social harmony.