Senior BJP leader Chander Mohan Sharma quit the party on Friday over ticket distribution for the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir amid growing resentment in the saffron camp over "parachute candidates" being preferred over veterans.

Sharma has a decades-long association with the BJP, dating back to the days of the Jan Sangh. His resignation has come despite the BJP sending senior leaders from Delhi to placate the dissenters.

BJP sources said there is massive anger in the party after it dropped several veterans from the list of candidates. While the other leaders have not gone public with their resentment, Sharma on Friday addressed a media conference where he and his associates said they had tendered their resignation.

Sharma claimed there were reports that several candidates were given tickets in exchange for money. He said the party was unlikely to win under the command of Jammu and Kashmir's current leadership.

“Our state’s high command made an unfair projection before the Centre (over candidates). Ordinary people say money has been used. I am personally surprised to see the growth of party cadres. I am the most senior leader but non-deserving people have come forward (selected) about whom a lot can be said,” Sharma told reporters. “The common people are not accepting them.”

Sharma said he joined the Jan Sangh in 1974 and was imprisoned for 18 months during the Emergency.

“We have tendered our resignation and hope it will be accepted. It is because of the present leadership we have in Jammu and Kashmir that we cannot form a government, nor achieve victory. The central leaders are here and if this leadership is changed, something can happen and workers can be satisfied,” he said.

Sharma, an advocate, said he was facing pressure from people in Jammu East to contest independently.

Senior leaders, including Union ministers G.K. Reddy and Dr Jitendra Singh, are camping in Jammu to control the damage after there were protests at the party headquarters against ticket distribution. Sources said 11 winning candidates from the 2014 Assembly elections had been dropped.

The party faced an uproar last week when it issued a list of 44 candidates for the three-phase polls. The list was withdrawn the same day. Former ministers Dr Nirmal Singh and Sat Sharma were among some senior leaders who were not on the list.

A revised list had 15 names that were also on the previous list. Another list of 29 candidates was issued on August 27 in which one nominee — Baldev Rohit Dubey — was replaced by Baldev Raj Sharma from the Mata Vaishno Devi seat.

The party has given tickets to several “imported” leaders, including Devendra Singh Rana, Choudhary Zulfikar, Sham Lal Sharma, Surjit Singh Salathia, Balwant Singh Manotia and Mushtaq Bukhari.