SRINAGAR: Unlike its aggressive approach in the Jammu region, the BJP is treading very cautiously in Kashmir and not opening its cards publicly. The party is playing hide-and-seek by not making its support public for candidates on three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir but behind the scenes “sending messages” to party workers and activists whom to support.
The BJP has decided not to contest elections on three Valley LS seats — Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla. Instead it has decided to extend support to candidates of like-minded parties other than the NC, PDP and Congress.
Of the three LS seats in Valley, the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, spread over five districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama and Shopian, would be going to polls in the 4th phase on May 13.
The BJP has not officially yet declared whom the party would be supporting in the Srinagar seat, where 24 candidates are in the fray but the main contest is between NC’s Aga Ruhullah, PDP’s Waheed Para and Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir.
The party has also not publicly announced whom the party would support in the Anantnag and Baramulla LS seats.
When asked whom the party will support on three Valley seats, BJP’s general secretary (Org) Ashok Koul said Home Minister Amit Shah has already made it clear that the party won’t support NC, PDP and Congress.
“The party workers are free to vote for any candidate other than NC, PDP and Congress. We have not told them anything. We have told them not to vote for NC, PDP and Congress and rest they can vote for anybody,” he said.
Asked whether it would create confusion among the party workers, Koul said, “There will be no confusion. Our party workers are mature enough and they know whom to vote”.
Another BJP leader, wishing not to be named, said there has been a lot of positive change in Kashmir since Article 370 abrogation.
The BJP leader said there has been a lot of promotion of bat and apple in the last few years, indirectly referring to Apni Party of Altaf Bukhari (which has bat as its election symbol) and Peoples Conference of Sajad Gani Lone (which has apple as its election symbol).
Sources in BJP said the party leaders are very active on the ground and workers have been conveyed to vote for “bat” and “apple”.
The Apni Party (with bat symbol) is contesting Anantnag and Srinagar LS seats while PC (with apple symbol) is contesting Baramulla seat.
Asked why the party is not making its support for its allies public, the BJP leader said, “It is part of our strategy. The top leaders have chalked this strategy after a lot of thinking over it”.
It remains to be seen whether this strategy of not making its support to its allies public in the Valley works in the three LS seats of Kashmir.
According to BJP leaders, the party has about 10 lakh registered members in the Valley with about 4 lakh in south Kashmir, over three lakh in north Kashmir and nearly three lakh in central Kashmir.