Srinagar: As Jammu and Kashmir poll fray heats up and the BJP finds itself in tight spot, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Jammu region on September 14 to galvanise the support in favour of the party candidates ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The visit is expected to attract a large turnout, with Modi expected to address several key issues concerning the region. The BJP is contesting all 43 Assembly seats in Jammu division while it is in fray on selected seats in the Kashmir valley.
Internal discontent has surfaced within the BJP in Jammu due to perceived unfair distribution of party mandates, prompting recent protests from leaders and workers. Modi’s visit is anticipated to address this internal strife and boost party morale.
A senior BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “The message conveyed to the karyakartas is that they should double their efforts and aggressively take to the field. When Modiji and other national leaders are working so hard, we have to compliment his efforts.”
Explaining Modi’s focus in J&K, he said, “The BJP likes to compete with itself. In the last elections (2014), the BJP had won 25 seats in Jammu and this time our target is 40 plus.”
The BJP's strategy appears to involve leveraging Modi's popularity and his government's development agenda to secure a strong showing in the Union Territory. Modi's upcoming visit will be the third high-profile appearance in J&K, following visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, who recently released the party's election manifesto.
On Sunday, the BJP released its sixth list of candidates, which notably excluded former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta from his Gandhi Nagar seat in Jammu city. This decision, along with the recent departure of several senior leaders, reflects ongoing internal turbulence within the party.
The Assembly polls will be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1. This is the first election in the erstwhile state after its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution was revoked and it was bifurcated into two UTs.
Published 08 September 2024, 10:54 IST