The BJP is to launch its full-fledged campaign in the poll-bound Jammu & Kashmir and Jharkhand from November 22 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the lead role, addressing the first and second of its pubic rallies in Kishtwar and Udhampur districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
All top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh , Union Health Minister JP Nadda, Minister (Mos), PMO, Jitendra Singh and other top BJP leaders, would address poll rallies in J&K.
Asked whether the Prime Minister would repeat his performance of addressing over 25 and 10 rallies in Maharashtra and Haryana electioneering, a senior party leaders maintained that the Prime Minister may not “got to that extent” and his public meetings “may be lesser” in J&K and Jharkhand.
The party has finalised dates of November 22 and November 28 for first two rallies in J&K and Jharkhand. Public rally at Kishtwar, the third least populous district of Jammu & Kashmir (after Kargil and leh), would be organised on November 22 and rally at Udhampur, the second-largest city of the Jammu region and the fourth-largest city in J&K, is to be held on November 28.
BJP is also to hold one each election rallies in Jammu, Poonch and ladakh. Another public rally is also scheduled at Srinagar, the State Capital. Dates for these places are yet to be fixed. “The PM would address public rallies in Kashsmir,” sources said. Asked about the BJP going ahead with his National agenda of revoking Article 370 that gives a special status to Kashmir, in the poll campaign, party leaders said, “It would only be discussed and pros and cons would be deliberated…”.
With the ‘Mission 44+’ (half-way seats in the Assembly) as a target, the BJP has already set in top gear its campaign machinery in the State. The party has 11 seats in the present State Assembly, which has a total strength of 87.
The BJP has given tickets to over 31 Muslim candidates with as many as 19 being in the Kashmir valley where it hopes to make “ a good mark”. The BJP’s campaign plank for J&K would be Parivarwad aur Bhrashtrachar se Mukti.
Apart from former separatist Sajjad lone, who recently met Modi and expected to have a post-poll alliance with the BJP, Heena Bhat, daughter of former Member of Parliament and senior politician, Muhammad Shafi Bhat and former Inspector General of Police, Farooq Khan had joined the BJP in March in presence of Modi.
The dates and places for other rallies of Modi in Jammu & Kashmir would be finalised after his return from his overseas tour on November 21, sources said. Kishtwar district is part of Chenab valley, where six Assembly constituencies go to polls in the first phase of elections on 25 November along with nine other constituencies of Kashmir and ladakh regions.
The Congress had bagged five out of the six seats from Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban district of Chenab valley, which is home turf of senior Congress leader and leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. Chenab valley is part of Udhampur lok Sabha seat which was bagged by MoS PMO Jitendra Singh, who defeated Azad by over 60,000 votes in 2014 lok Sabha polls.
As for the Jharkhand, the Party has also set November 22 and November 28 for major public rallies in the State but venues “are yet to be fixed”. The party would focus on providing a stable Government and seek “ a clear mandate” from the people of the State, said party leaders.