BJP to Support 'friends' in Fray for 3 Kashmir Valley Lok Sabha Seats

“The BJP has a good relationship with the other like-minded parties in the Kashmir Valley. We have some good and trusted friends here and we will extend our support to them,” the BJP’s J&K unit president Ravinder Raina told reporters here.

The BJP has fielded candidates only for the Udhampur and Jammu seats in Jammu and Kashmir, the polling which was held in the first and second phases of the election on April 19 and 26, respectively. Union home minister Amit Shah had while speaking at an election rally at Paloura in Jammu on April 16 hinted at the BJP’s not fielding its candidates for the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir when he said that the saffron party was not in a hurry to see “lotus bloom” in the scenic Valley. He had said, “We are not going to conquer Kashmir as is being projected by our adversaries. We want to win every heart of Kashmir.”

Mr. Shah had, however, urged the people of the Valley not to vote in favour of Congress, National Conference or the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Lok Sabha elections as it were these parties which, he alleged, staged fake encounters in J&K and handed the guns over to its youth ruining their lives in the past.

Mr. Raina while claiming that the BJP will win big on both Jammu and Udhampur seats said, “We are looking forward to extending our support to like-minded groups and good candidates after discussing the modalities with the party workers.” Asked whom BJP considers ‘friends’ in the Valley, he said, “There are so many parties which are very compassionate with the people. We will talk to our workers and the outcome will be announced soon.”

The party sources said that the BJP is likely to announce its support to the People’s Conference chairman and former minister Sajad Gani Lone who is seeking election to LoK Sabha from home constituency Baramulla and the J&K Apni Party candidates in the Anantnag-Rajouri and Srinagar constituencies.

Asked about the BJP’s seeking deferment of polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency owing to inclement weather, Mr. Raina said that this has to be decided by the Election Commission of India (ECI) whether to postpone the elections or not. “We have made a request to it in view of the hostile weather conditions. Mughal Road, the lone surface link between Anantnag and the Rajouri-Poonch region, has been closed following fresh snowfall and incessant rains,” he said.

Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have strongly opposed the plea of the BJP and some regional parties to the ECI seeking deferment of the polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. Following the representations of the BJP, J&K Apni Party and some other groups and, at least, three candidates in the fray, the ECI had on Thursday sought a report from J&K’s Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and the Chief Electoral Officer Pandurang K. Pole on their pleas.

Both the Chief Secretary and the CEO on Sunday submitted their reports to the ECI explaining the ground realities in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituencies. The ECI is expected to decide on the issue in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mufti who is contesting on the Anantnag-Rajouri seat on Sunday reiterated that any attempt at postponing the polling in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency which is scheduled to be held in the third phase of elections on May 7, will result in denying a level playing field to all the parties. End it