Srinagar:As the voting for two parliamentary seats of Kashmir is drawing close, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which was proactive in the Valley for the last five years, is dithering from campaigning for its “patriotic parties” that it has promised support after the party surrendered out of the electoral contest in the Valley.
BJP Jammu and Kashmir unit president Ravinder Raina told ETV Bharat the party will support those candidates “who are honest and have the spirit of working” for the people. Raina held several meetings with party workers in Srinagar and asked them to support and campaign for the “patriotic and pro-welfare parties and candidates”.
The BJP president claimed that the party has the strongest network and outreach in Kashmir, and it will make a “separate strategy for the three seats” of the Valley so that its “allies defeat National Conference and PDP. However, the polling for the Srinagar parliamentary seat is just two days away and will be held on May 12, the BJP leaders didn’t campaign for Apni Party candidate Ashraf Mir. Mir is contesting against NC’s Agar Ruhullah and his former party man Waheed Para of PDP.
Mir, who is a former PDP MLA from Sonwar, Srinagar, had defeated NC vice-president and then chief ministerial contender Omar Abdullah in the 2014 Assembly elections. Mir, Ruhullah and Para have taken out rallies and conducted roadshows in Srinagar to mobilise people for their support. But, BJP leaders are not showing up for Mir.
Sources in the Apni Party said that it has asked BJP leaders not to show up in their rallies as it can backfire for the party. BJP Srinagar unit conducted a roadshow in Srinagar on Wednesday, but none of its big Jammu and Kashmir leaders joined the rally. It was attended by little-known workers of the party.
“A roadshow was organised by the BJP Chanapora constituency to demonstrate their strength and support like-minded party candidates in the upcoming elections. The rally was part of a larger campaign initiated by the BJP Srinagar district to support candidates from like-minded parties, which share common ground for a brighter and prosperous India,” BJP media-incharge Sajid Yosuf said.
For the Baramulla parliamentary seat, voting will be held on May 20, yet the BJP leaders or its workers are not showing up for its perceived ally Sajad Lone. Lone, the president of People's Conference (PC) is contesting against NC’s vice-president Omar Abdullah.