Party president J.P. Nadda and LG Manoj Sinha also participated in the key meeting with J&K BJP leaders.
SRINAGAR
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently held an important meeting with J&K BJP leaders in which party president J.P. Nadda and LG Manoj Sinha also participated. This meeting raised the hopes among the common people in Jammu and Kashmir that Assembly elections may be held soon.
However, former Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah claimed that BJP has “no bones to face people in Jammu and Kashmir and is shying away from Assembly elections”.
The meeting held by Shah with J&K BJP leaders amid Assembly polls buzz in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered a political debate in media circles and political parties. Now the debate in media circles is whether Assembly elections will be held or not.
Senior leaders of both NC and PDP said that BJP top brass recently held a core meeting to “know about their own ground strength to decide about the dates for panchayat and local urban bodies elections”. These elections are due in Jammu and Kashmir in the coming months.
Union Minister and MP from Udhampur Dr. Jitendra Singh recently said that the decision about the polls in Jammu and Kashmir would be taken by the Election Commission and the BJP unit of Jammu and Kashmir was ready to face Assembly elections at any time. In a scathing attack on LG Manoj Sinha, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah recently said that he was “inventing” surveys to justify his “unwillingness” to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that LG Manoj Sinha wants to remain the “uncrowned ruler” of Jammu and Kashmir as long as he can. It is in place to mention that LG Manoj Sinha recently said that if a survey is conducted in Jammu and Kashmir, 80% of common people would vote in favour of the current rule led by the BJP government from the Centre. In response to delay in the elections, Opposition parties of Jammu and Kashmir have decided to meet in winter capital Jammu to discuss the present situation and to chalk out a future strategy.
National Conference and PDP have repeatedly said in the recent past that BJP does not want to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as “they are sure that common people will punish them by their votes”.
Former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said that people of Jammu region have suffered the most, after the decisions on 5 August 2019 and the Centre’s policies. She said that people of Jammu region will definitely punish BJP by their votes and it would be reflected even in the coming parliamentary elections.
While the recent meeting held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reignited the debate about the possibility of Assembly elections being held sooner in Jammu and Kashmir, the utterances by regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir indicate that elections are far off.