Jammu:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not form any pre-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, state party president Ravinder Raina said here.

He, however, said discussions are ongoing with 8 to 10 independents in the Kashmir valley for contesting the elections together.

He said the party is fully geared up for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and will announce the first list of candidates soon.

“The BJP will have no pre-poll alliance with any political party in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr Raina told reporters here.

“We are in talks with 8 to 10 independent candidates in the Kashmir Valley. If these discussions materialise, we will formulate a strategy to contest the elections jointly,” he said.

The BJP will field its candidates in the Kashmir valley and win the elections with a majority, he said.

“We will contest the majority of seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, we are working on a strategy for joint contest with some independent candidates in Kashmir (Valley),” he said. “The BJP will have a big victory in J&K and will form its government in the union territory.”

On former minister Choudhary Zulfikar Ali joining the BJP, Mr Raina said he is a prominent leader with a strong support base in the Rajouri-Poonch belt. “The BJP will receive a significant boost from his inclusion.”

Responding to former chief minister Omar Abdullah’s statement on Article 370, Mr Raina said Mr Abdullah’s party is losing ground in Jammu and Kashmir, which is why he is issuing such remarks.

Mr Abdullah stated on Saturday that as its first action after the Assembly polls in the Union Territory, the Jammu and Kashmir House would pass a resolution against the Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

The Election Commission of India has confirmed that it will visit Jammu and Kashmir next week to review preparations for elections. The move is being seen as an indication that the Assembly elections in the Union Territory will be held before the deadline of September 30 set by the Supreme Court.

The full commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will meet officials of the administration as well as representatives of political parties in Srinagar and Jammu during the visit, which will take place from August 8 to 10, it was announced on Friday. 

Sources said the commission is expected to announce the Assembly polls sometime after  August 15 to meet the September 30 deadline. 

In December last year, while delivering its verdict on Article 370, a five-judge Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had directed the poll body to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory by September 30. It had also asked the Centre to restore statehood at the earliest.

On Wednesday, the Commission had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officials posted in their home districts as well as those connected with the election process who will be completing a three-year tenure on or before September 30.

Similar directions had been given to the chief secretaries of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where elections are due later this year.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years and the last Assembly elections were held in December 2014.

Next week, Jammu and Kashmir will also complete five years as a Union Territory. On August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status under Article 370 was removed. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been administered by the lieutenant governor.

The Centre has also recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, giving sweeping powers to the lieutenant governor in the Union Territory. The amendments are in line with the Delhi Union Territory model, where the elected government has little authority over bureaucracy and many powers are vested in the Lieutenant Governor.

Opposition parties have reacted strongly to the Centre’s move and termed it “anti-democratic”. They allege that giving sweeping powers to the LG will make the elected government a rubber stamp.

During his visit to Srinagar in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Assembly elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon, and statehood would also be restored.