Srinagar, May 16: Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah directed BJP leaders to brace for the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for September this year, emphasizing the need for a robust BJP presence across all constituencies.
Upon landing in Srinagar on Thursday evening, Union Minister Shah was received by J&K BJP leaders including BJP’s National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, UT President Ravinder Raina and party’s spokesman Altaf Thakur. Later, Shah directly moved towards Hotel Lalit, where he met various delegations.
Shah’s arrival in Srinagar, under tight security, marked a significant meeting with various communities, including Gujjars, Bakerwals, Paharis, and Sikhs.
Among the attendees were BJP General Secretary Sunil Sharma, J&K affairs in-charge, and other prominent leaders.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur told Rising Kashmir that Shah had directed the J&K unit to get ready for the Assembly elections. Shah, however, regretted for the party’s decision not to contest three pivotal Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.
Shah said, “Some fights aren’t just about winning; they’re also about making our party stronger.”
“The Home Minister highlighted the need to challenge the established political families of the National Conference, PDP, and Congress. He told BJP members to gear up against these parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for the Baramulla constituency and the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat,” Thakur added.
Meanwhile, two delegations from the Pahadi and Gujjar communities, representing both the northern and southern Kashmir parts, met with the union minister to discuss their issues. During the meeting, the home minister assured the community leaders of every possible help.
Thakur said this visit is apolitical. He will chair BJP’s core meeting on Thursday late evening, where all senior party members are expected to discuss the future plan for the upcoming three phases of the Lok Sabha polls in the region.
Later, participants talked about the positive conversation they had with HM Shah. They expressed their gratitude to the central govt for resolving the seven-decade-old issue.
Talking to reporters outside Hotel Lalit, Ahmad Bin Bumla, a member of the Gujjar-Bakarwal community said there was positive discussion with HM Shah, especially about development, Scheduled Tribe status, and job opportunities.
“We just came to express our gratitude to HM Shah, who made it possible after a long time,” he said.
Shahbaz Peer, another participant, shared similar feelings. He mentioned they received promises about special job recruitment and youth employment in private companies.
Engineer Nirmal Singh, representing the Sikh community, talked about their requests for better job opportunities, setting up a minority commission, and getting Scheduled Tribe status. Singh said the minister promised to think about their requests but asked for some time to solve their problems properly.
Ghulam Mohammad Khatana, from the Gujjar-Bakarwal delegation in north Kashmir, talked about discussions on the Scheduled Tribe (ST) issue. He said Shah promised to protect their reservation quotas and let them choose their own Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the upcoming elections.
Mohd Younis Sheikh, representing the Pahari community, thanked Shah for supporting their reservation. Members, including Syed Akhter Hussain from South Kashmir’s Pahari delegation, considered the resolution of their long-standing issues a big success.
It may be noted Shah’s Kashmir visit came just a day after Jamaat-e-Islami expressed its willingness to join the electoral politics again after 1987 subject to the condition if Centre revokes ban imposed on it in 2019 under Unlawful Activities and Prevention Act (UAPA).
There was a speculation that a delegation from Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) might meet with the Home Minister, yet as of late evening, there was no official confirmation of such a meeting.
Meanwhile, an official said that Shah will also hold a general security review meeting in Kashmir and discuss arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra 2024 before leaving back to New Delhi. Shah’s visit to Srinagar coincides with the ongoing Lok Sabha elections nationwide.
The polls for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency were conducted on May 13, recording a voter turnout of 38.49 percent, the second-highest since the 1989 Lok Sabha elections.
The voting for the Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri constituencies is scheduled for May 20 (Phase 5) and May 25 (Phase 6), respectively, in the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. Simultaneously, polling for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat is also slated for May 20. The declaration of Lok Sabha election results is expected on June 4.
