Union Minister Jitendra Singh on April 22 said that Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held soon and the people of the Union Territory are enthusiastic about participating in the electoral process to support the BJP's development agenda.
Speaking to PTI, he asserted that normalcy has been restored in J&K but the opposition parties were involved in a "wrong" portrayal of the ground situation after the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 which gave a special status to the erstwhile State.
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"Opposition parties are engaged in a wrong portrayal of the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Normalcy has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir after scrapping Article 370. Elections in Jammu and Kashmir will happen soon, as stated by Prime Minister Modi in a recent rally in Udhampur. It has to happen and it will happen soon," the BJP leader said.
There is no elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the BJP withdrew from its coalition with the PDP in 2018. It has been under the Centre's rule, which also saw the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and J&K being divided into two Union Territories.
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The Supreme Court had in December last upheld the government's decision to abrogate Article 370 and said steps should be taken to conduct the election to the Union Territory's Assembly by September 30, 2024.
On the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Singh said the people are upbeat in Jammu and Kashmir about the development carried out in the region and are supporting the BJP.
"There is special enthusiasm among people. A common person in J&K is very enthusiastic to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-people policies. They are especially motivated to help Modi win over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
"'Nari Shakti' or women are participating in large numbers and they are exceptionally motivated to vote for the BJP due to Modi's welfare schemes meant for them," said Mr. Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.
Mr. Singh is the BJP candidate from J&K's Udhampur constituency, where polling was held on April 19. He is a two-term sitting Lok Sabha member from the constituency.
"The main agenda of this Lok Sabha polls and in Jammu and Kashmir especially is development. The Centre is always committed to further development of the Union Territory and ensuring jobs for youths," he said.
Mr. Singh said Prime Minister Modi ended the politics of discrimination in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Previous governments discriminated against regions of the erstwhile State due to vote bank politics. But, the BJP-led central government has ensured that the benefits of central schemes reach every eligible beneficiary in Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of caste, community or gender," he said.
