Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Aug 31: Senior BJP leader and Member Parliament, Avinash Rai Khanna, today said that the party would contest forthcoming State Assembly elections from all the 87 segments of the State and the party high command has cleared the names of only two candidates in Kashmir division so far.
Khanna, who is also the party In-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, said that the party leaders have been working hard to send the name of candidates to recently framed Parliamentary Board Committee (PBC) that will decide the candidates for various constituencies of the State. “For mandate procedure, BJP leaders would send the candidates’ list to PBC for final approval,” he told media persons here after the sidelines of party function.
The BJP leader, however, was quick to add that two candidates in the Kashmir valley were given the green signal to prepare for contesting forthcoming elections.
“In South Kashmir’s Pahalgam constituency and Amira Kadal constituency of Srinagar district, BJP high command asked Sofi Yousuf and Dr Hina Bhat to prepare for the elections respectively,” Khanna said.
The BJP leader said people of Kashmir have accepted the BJP’s rising popularity and cutting across religious, caste and relational considerations are supporting the party with enthusiasm.
Commenting on Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah’s statement that BJP was working on communal agenda with focus on sizable votes of Pandit population in many Assembly constituencies and poll boycott would help rightwing parties like BJP, Khanna said BJP after historic victory in Parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir has sent a clear message to CM that BJP would cross the 44+ mark.
“Omar has the threat that BJP’s ‘mission 44+’ was going to fulfill in the upcoming elections, that is why he issued that statement,” he said.
The MP also said that BJP won’t spread communal hatred in any part of the country for political gains, because of which that area would get affected. “We don’t want any area should get affected due to communal tension as it will go against BJP,” he said.
Khanna while welcoming the new entrants into party fold stated that it will sent a strong and a clear message to all the patriotic segments of the State.
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