Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, June 9: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said today that Udhampur’s record electoral victory in the history of Jammu & Kashmir, has exploded several myths and this has been possible because of the positive vote polled by every section of society, cutting across religious and caste lines, and showing a relatively homogenous pattern in an otherwise heterogeneous constituency, which extends from Lakhanpur to Banihal.
Addressing a mammoth public rally after being given a rousing welcome on his arrival here for the first time after being sworn in as Union Minister for the second consecutive term, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the factors behind the record victory with a margin of more than 3.57 lakh votes have either been poorly understood or being deliberately underplayed by cynics.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Udhampur election outcome is a case study in itself from many angles. First of all, it demolished the thesis of political pundits and certain media commentators that large victory margins can be obtained only in Jammu Lok Sabha constituency. Secondly, it demolished the jinx that the Muslim vote usually does not go in favour of BJP, but the substantial vote share of BJP this time in Muslim majority Assembly segments like Inderwal, Gulabgarh and Gool Arnas was never seen before. Thirdly, the election outcome was also a lesson for such local media channels which get influenced by anarchic campaigners for reasons best known to them.
Citing the example of Udhampur city, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Modi government, for the first time in 70 years allocated approximately Rs.190 crore project for rejuvenation of the holy river of Devika, but when critics and some local media channels started campaigning that the Devika project is a hoax, this offended the sentiments of common man who silently took his revenge through the ballot by ensuring heaviest-ever polling out of which 78% vote share went to BJP.
One of the important reasons why our vote share substantially increased in the Assembly segments like Inderwal, Gool Arnas, Bhaderwah and Gulab Garh, Dr Jitendra Singh said, is because we religiously followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi Mantra of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” and did not stop development activities in these Assembly segments in spite of having received a severe beating in 2014. For example, he said, Gool got a centrally funded Sports stadium, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Degree college, while the Bhaderwah Assembly segment saw the setting up of first-ever Post Office after independence and the first ever State Bank of India branch at Gandoh, which happens to be native place of a former Chief Minister.
Former Minister Pawan Kumar Gupta, BJP State Vice President Pawan Khajuria, various Sarpanches and BJYM President Parashar also addressed the gathering.
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