Bharatiya Janata Party Jammu and Kashmir unit President, Ravinder Raina, said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the fortune and picture (political landscape) of Jammu and Kashmir in the last ten years.
This comes as the party is gearing up for the Assembly polls in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled to start in the third week of September.
At a joint press conference, flanked by Union Ministers G Kishen Reddy, Jitendra Singh, and former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Raina said, “The BJP, with its full might, has joined the political fray in Jammu and Kashmir.”
He claimed that the party and its candidates are getting support from different parts of Kashmir ahead of the polls.
“…The party candidates are gaining ground in Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and Pulwama. I express my gratitude to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the BJP leader added.
Highlighting the work done by the BJP-led Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, Raina said, “Everywhere, the BJP is getting support from people, especially the work done by our PM. The way PM Modi has changed the destiny and picture of Kashmir in the last ten years has led every child of Jammu and Kashmir to sing profusely from his heart, “Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi.”
He also hit out at previous governments in Jammu and Kashmir.
“During the era of Congress-National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, there was stone-pelting and the noise of bullets was heard, but today there is prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, ” he said, highlighting the initiatives of the Centre post-abrogation of Article 370.
Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, according to the Election Commission of India. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.
There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 7 seats are reserved for SCs and 9 seats are reserved for STs. According to the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors.
In the last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP won 28 votes, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 25 votes, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15 votes, and the Congress won 12 votes. The PDP and BJP formed a coalition government led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. However, in 2018, the BJP withdrew its support from the alliance after Mehbooba Mufti took over following Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s demise.
These are the first assembly elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.