A day after claiming that his party is ready for elections anytime, president of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP Ravinder Raina on Sunday shifted the blame on the Election Commission of India (ECI) for delaying maiden assembly polls in the Union Territory.
"Conducting elections is the job of the ECI. Neither government nor BJP can decide on it", Raina told reporters in South Kashmir's Anantnag district.
"It's the job of the ECI to hold elections in J&K. The decision to hold polls is been decided by ECI, not by any party, President, or Prime Minister", he said.
"Election Commission should decide on holding assembly elections in J&K as early as possible. There no reason for delaying assembly polls", Raina said while blaming the election panel for not announcing dates for polls in J&K.
Earlier on Saturday, Ravinder Raina said that his party is ready for both assembly and parliament elections in the region.
Raina said the party was confident of forming the Government in Jammu and Kashmir as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had worked for peace in the UT and the welfare of its people.
"BJP is completely ready for the Assembly elections in JK. We are confident that the people of Kashmir will wholeheartedly vote for BJP this time", he said, adding, "The work done by Modi for the poor and the underprivileged will make the people of Kashmir vote for BJP".
"BJP is ready for all elections — be it Lok Sabha, Assembly, or local bodies. No one needs to be scared, the people have to decide and the verdict will come on the political battlefield. I am confident that BJP will form the next Government in J&K," he added.
Earlier Omar challenges BJP to conduct assembly elections in J&K
Three days ago former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J&K chief minister and National Conference vice president Abdullah had challenged the BJP to hold assembly elections in J&K along with the next year's Lok Sabha polls.
Omar had claimed that if assembly elections are held, BJP will face the worst defeat in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions. "If BJP would have been strong enough to win the assembly elections, then they would have conducted polls in J&K long back," Omar told media persons.
The former Chief Minister alleged that the ruling BJP is afraid of assembly elections and challenged the Saffron Party to conduct assembly polls along with Lok Sabha elections.
- Jammu and Kashmir is without an elected government since June 2018 when BJP dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) followed by the resignation of the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
- Five months later, on November 28, 2018, then Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the legislative assembly minutes after Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP staked a claim to form the government with the support of Congress and the National Conference.
- A month later on December 19, 2018, then President Ram Nath Kovind issued a proclamation promulgating President's Rule in J&K under Article 356 of the Constitution of India.
- Eight months later on August 5, 2019, the BJP government abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
- Almost all the political parties in J&K have been asking for holding elections in the UT. Even a delegation of J&K leaders led by NC president Farooq Abdullah met the Chief Election Commissioner of India in New Delhi in March and requested him to hold assembly elections in the UT.
- The last assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014 and the assembly couldn't complete its term then J&K came under governor's rule after BJP withdrew its support from the PDP-BJP coalition government in June 2018.
