A day after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced that maiden assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be held very soon. The BJP has started preparations for the much-awaited polls.
President of the J&K unit of BJP, Ravinder Raina, said that their party is ready to contest maiden assembly elections. "We are always ready for all elections be it Legislative Assembly, Panchayat, or Urban Local Bodies (ULB)", Raina said.
"Earlier we were hoping that Assembly elections in J&K would be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls but the Election Commission of India had decided to conduct only Parliament elections", Raina said, adding, "It was all due to security reasons that simultaneous polls were not conducted in J&K.
"After the statement of the Chief Election Commissioner, one thing is clear that assembly elections will be held in J&K very soon", he said, adding, "We are hoping that after completion of the process of Lok Sabha polls, Assembly elections will be announced in J&K".
BJP convenes meeting in south Kashmir to start preparations for Assembly polls
Meanwhile, BJP general secretary (organization) Ashok Koul conveyed a meeting of the party leaders at south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Sunday in connection with the preparations for the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
After visiting the residence of Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, who was killed by terrorists recently, Ashok Koul straightaway went to the party office at Anantnag to convene a meeting.
Although Ashok Koul termed this meeting as a routine to get feedback from workers about polling in south Kashmir, the party workers discussed the possibility of coming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
"BJP is always ready for assembly elections in J&K. We will get at least 50 seats on our own and form government in J&K", Ashok Koul claimed.
"People of Jammu and Kashmir should be ready for assembly polls because both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have promised to conduct elections in J&K", he said and assured that assembly elections in J&K will be held before September 30, the deadline set-up the Supreme Court.
Home Minister assures Assembly polls before September 30
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has affirmed that the Modi government's approach to Kashmir has been validated by the successful elections in Jammu and Kashmir, with significant participation from separatist groups. He assured that the assembly elections in the region would be held by September 30.
In an interview with a news agency, Shah stated that following the elections, the government would begin the process of restoring statehood to the Union Territory.
"I have said in Parliament that we will grant statehood after the assembly elections," he reiterated, adding that all necessary steps, including surveys of backward classes and the delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies, are on track.
"We have completed the delimitation process. Reservation can only be provided once this process is finalized, as it requires an understanding of the status of various castes, which has been accomplished. The Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir are also concluded. Next, we will hold the assembly elections. We will complete this process before the Supreme Court's deadline," Shah emphasized.
