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Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit President Ravinder Raina said on Sunday that the party will not form any alliance with any political party for the Assembly elections in the Union Territory scheduled to be held in the third week of September.
He also said that the "BJP can form an alliance with some independent candidates for 8-10 assembly seats in the Kashmir region." "We will not form any alliance with any political party," he stressed. "BJP will contest elections with full strength...The public of Jammu and Kashmir will vote overwhelmingly for BJP and we will form the government...BJP will contest elections on its own in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP can contest elections in alliance with some independent candidates. We will not ally with any political party in Jammu...," he told ANI. When asked about the former chief minister Omar Abdullah's reported remarks over Article 370, he replied, "He knows that his government is not going to be formed here, prompting him to make such statements." On former Jammu and Kashmir Minister Chowdhary Zulfikar Ali joining the BJP, he said, "He is a very big political leader of J&K. We welcome him in the BJP and with his joining the party will get strengthened." The polling in the UT will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, as per the Election Commission of India. The counting of the votes will take place on October 4. These are the first elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir in March and announced development packages worth crores of rupees to boost agriculture and tourism. The election body has directed the enforcement agencies to be impartial and transparent for smooth and fair polling, ensuring a level playing field. There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies, of which 74 are general, nine are ST, and seven are SC. There are 87.09 lakh total electors, including 44.46 lakh are male, 42.62 lakh are female, 169 are transgender, 82,590 PwDs, 73943 are very senior citizens, 2660 are centenarians, 76092 are service electors, and 3.71 lakh are first-time voters. Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of 10 years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014. The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti. In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024. (ANI)
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