Jammu, July 11: Following a decline in its vote share in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the Jammu region, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is exploring new alliances in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory.
During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP did not field candidates for the three seats in Kashmir, namely Srinagar, Baramulla and Rajouri-Anantnag. Instead, the party openly supported Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party and covertly backed Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference for these seats. However, both parties failed to make any impact, prompting the BJP to seek new allies.
A senior BJP leader, wishing anonymity, revealed to Rising Kashmir that the party’s high command is actively engaging with top leaders of its J&K unit to identify potential allies. “The aim is to ensure that the BJP forms the government in J&K after the assembly elections. The party has been gathering feedback from local leaders regarding probable allies,” he said.
During his recent visit to Jammu, BJP National President JP Nadda discussed the matter in detail and sought feedback on potential alliances.
“The BJP high command is of the view to go with that party which could win maximum seats in Kashmir region,” the BJP leader said, adding, “The high command is reportedly considering regional parties such as the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), based on suggestions from the J&K unit.”
