On a day when former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad, quit the Congress party, a State team of the BJP met Home Minister Amit Shah to firm up organisational issues and discuss the political situation in the Union Territory.
While senior sources in the party said the BJP did not anticipate elections this year considering the process of finalisation of the electoral rolls and the timetable thereof, the delimitation of Assembly seats had spurred the need to discuss some action plan for organisational ramp-up. “It is the Election Commission that will decide on when elections are to be held, but the party (BJP) must begin preparations and be ready to face polls,” said a source.
J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina and other senior party leaders, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Devendra Singh Rana, MP Jugal Kishore and Shakti Raj Parihar, attended the meeting with Mr. Shah as did BJP general secretary-in-charge for J&K, Tarun Chugh and co-incharge Ashish Sood.
BJP sources added the leaders’ meeting with Mr. Shah was pre-scheduled, with Mr. Azad’s resignation having no bearing on the matter. On speculation that Mr. Azad may float a regional party in J&K after his exit from the Congress and contest Assembly polls, BJP leaders said that they were in the dark with regard to Mr. Azad’s plans.
BJP leaders said the political situation and the party’s organisational affairs following the delimitation exercise came up for discussion. “The delimitation of Assembly seats is on the lines of the rest of the country, with reserved seats for Scheduled Tribes et al, and the State unit has to build up organisational network in all seats,” said a source. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also held a meeting with Mr. Shah on Friday.
