Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Aug 17: Soon after the announcement of much over due Assembly elections in the UT of J&K by Election Commission of India (ECI) yesterday, two senior BJP leaders including party UT president, Ravinder Raina and party general secretary, incharge Kashmir, Sunil Sharma were summoned by the party High Command to Delhi to discuss the election strategy.
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Party sources said both Raina and Sharma held meeting with Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, Union Minister of Coal and Mines who is election incharge of J&K G Kishan Reddy at Union Capital. The meeting was also attended by the party national general secretary incharge J&K and Ladakh, Tarun Chugh and co incharge Ashish Sood.
Sources aid that strategy for poll campaigning as well as the probable candidates from both regions of the UT tentatively figured in the meeting. The High Command has given stress on fielding maximum new faces in the ensuing elections from the UT by replacing some old candidates.
However, party is holding a marathon meeting here at Party Headquarters, Trikuta Nagar tomorrow in this regard which will be attended by party election in-charge and Union Minister G K Reddy, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, party national general secretary, Tarun Chugh, co incharge J&K Ashish Sood and national secretary Dr Narinder Singh besides, party MPs Jugal Kishore Sharma and Gulam Ali Khatana. The senior party leaders, office bearers, ex legislators and Morcha representatives as well as district presidents and general secretaries will attend the meeting in which their views will also be sought in this regard, sources added.
Sources said as the first phase of elections will be held on September 18 in the UT and the candidates having even less than one month’s time for the campaigning the list of candidates for the first phase will be announced in the beginning of next week shortest by August 20.
Sources said the names of probable candidates will also figure in tomorrow’s meeting however the announcement will be made after the approval by Parliamentary Board of the party.
Sources said the poll plank of the party will be development, peace and prosperity of people and double engine Sarkar to take J&K to new heights by making it a tourist and industrial hub.
Sources said BJP has also convened meeting of all State presidents and general secretaries in New Delhi today except J&K and Haryana which are going to polls next month to launch nation wide membership drive. The meeting was chaired by party national president, J P Nadda in which all senior party leaders including national general secretary (Org), B L Santosh and other office bearers were present. The meeting also discussed the strategy of two poll bound States/UT. The party is going to complete the membership drive before the holding of organizational elections all over the country, sources added.
Meanwhile J&K Apni Party, vice president and former Minister, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali called on Union Home Minister, Amit Shah in New Delhi today and the speculations are rife that he will join the BJP tomorrow at Jammu.
When contacted, BJP UT president, Ravinder Raina said that they held a meeting with national leaders including Union Home Minister, Amit Shah who asked the party to gear up fully for vigorous campaigning in the UT to ensure the landslide victory of the party.
He said BJP will contest the elections on its own from both regions of J&K.
Raina said that leaders for various parties are joining BJP from both regions of the UT in the coming days. He, while making a dig at National Conference (NC) said that those who were telling till yesterday that they will not contest the elections and seeing that the party is losing the ground have changed their mind now.
Meanwhile, party held a meeting of office bearers at Srinagar today which was chaired by party general secretary (Org) Ashok Koul to constitute manifesto and other election related committees. The meeting was attended by senior leaders of the party from Valley including National Executive Member, Rafiq Wani, spokesperson, Altaf Thakur, district president Ashok Bhat and others.
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