NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday asked the party unit in J&K to gear up for Assembly elections in October-November this year and lay the ground to gain strength to form the government in the state. They asked the state leaders to refrain from speaking on contentious issues of Article 35A.
The top BJP brass asked the state leaders to go on an overdrive to maximise gains in Jammu and Ladakh regions, besides identifying unattached political activists who could contest elections in Kashmir.
The BJP working president J P Nadda hosted the meeting attended by leaders from J&K, including the state unit chief Ravindra Raina. Besides Nadda, the BJP organisational secretary B L Santosh and state in-charge Ram Madhav attended the meeting.
“The meeting deliberated on Assembly elections to be held in October-November. Nadda will visit the state in the next fortnight,” said a senior BJP functionary, while adding that the state leaders have been asked to pipe down on contentious issues on which only the central government will speak.
Speaking to reporters, Raina said that the BJP is ready for the Assembly elections. He added that the BJP is currently in the midst of membership drive in the state.
J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik said that “everything is fine, everything is normal” rejecting reports of a possible “major development” in the state. A series of government orders, including one which spoke of prolonged law and order situation, had generated widespread speculation that the Centre was planning to abrogate Article 35-A of the Constitution.