In a bid to energize the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir. During their visits, they will address rallies and launch various development projects and welfare initiatives for the Union Territory’s residents.
Modi is set to make a one-day visit to the region, while Shah’s visit is anticipated to span between two to three days, contingent upon his final schedule, according to senior BJP leaders who have prepared a draft itinerary.
While the Home Minister has already given his consent to the tour program, formal approval from the Prime Minister is expected once the Union Territory Government finalizes the detailed list of projects and welfare schemes for inauguration.
The BJP leaders express confidence in Shah’s visit in October and Modi’s visit either in November or December. The schedule includes the Prime Minister addressing one program each in the Jammu and Kashmir divisions. The Jammu division program is expected to be held in Jammu, and the Kashmir division’s event is likely to take place in Anantnag district. The final approval for these tours will be made in consultation with the Union Territory Government, which has been drafting a series of welfare measures and schemes for announcement by Narendra Modi.
According to the BJP leaders, numerous development projects are nearing completion in both divisions of the Union Territory, with some more projects set to be launched. The Prime Minister is expected to initiate and inaugurate the major projects in both divisions.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been requested by the party leadership to address at least three rallies in Jammu division, including one each in Poonch and Doda districts, and a third in either Udhampur or Kathua district. In the Kashmir Valley, he is expected to hold a massive rally in Anantnag.
During his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir in October of the previous year, Amit Shah addressed a rally each in Rajouri and Baramulla and announced that Paharis would receive Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. He also reviewed the security scenario in the Union Territory and launched projects worth billions of rupees.
The visit of the Union Home Minister, followed by the Prime Minister, is set to sound the poll bugle for Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which are due in April-May next year.
Apart from this, the BJP leadership has also requested party president Jagat Prakash Nadda to make a two to three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir at his convenience, although his tour is yet to be finalized. Nevertheless, Nadda is expected to visit the Union Territory before the announcement of Parliamentary polls.
Party leaders have been instructed by their national leadership to ensure that the BJP secures at least three Lok Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir and puts up a strong fight in the remaining two. The party intends to contest all five seats with full force.
The BJP had previously won the Udhampur-Doda and Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seats for two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019. Additionally, it secured the Ladakh Parliamentary seat for both terms. However, Ladakh is now a separate Union Territory.
Besides the Jammu and Udhampur seats, whose boundaries have been altered by the Delimitation Commission to favor the BJP, the party is also eyeing the South Kashmir-Poonch constituency, which has a significant number of Pahari electorates, to whom the Central Government is slated to grant Scheduled Tribe status ahead of the Parliamentary polls. In case of a low voter turnout in South Kashmir districts like Anantnag and Pulwama, the BJP sees an opportunity on this seat as well.
News Summary:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah plan to visit Jammu and Kashmir to bolster the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in April-May.
- Modi’s visit will be a one-day event, while Shah’s visit may span two to three days.
- The visits will include addressing rallies and launching development projects and welfare measures.
- BJP leaders are confident about Shah’s visit in October and Modi’s visit in November or December.
- The Union Territory Government is finalizing a list of projects and welfare schemes for inauguration.
- The visits are expected to kickstart the BJP’s election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir.
- The BJP aims to secure at least three Lok Sabha seats in the region and compete vigorously in the remaining two.
- The party previously won the Udhampur-Doda and Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and 2019.
- The BJP is also eyeing the South Kashmir-Poonch constituency, which may benefit from Scheduled Tribe status.
