J-K polls: BJP to intensify campaign, Shah’s rally blitz on Sat

Jammu: Ahead of the second of the three-phased poll process for the J&K Assembly elections, covering 26 seats in five districts of both the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley, the BJP has decided to intensify its poll campaign in the former, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah slated to address a spate of rallies across the area on Saturday, party sources said. 

The second phase of the elections, on September 25, covers the constituencies in Reasi, Rajouri, and Poonch districts in the Jammu region, and Srinagar and Budgam districts of the Valley.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the BJP poll campaign for the second phase of the Assembly elections on Wednesday, addressing two rallies in Srinagar city and Katra town of Jammu division. The PM had earlier also campaigned for the first phase of polling when he addressed a party campaign rally in Doda town on September 14.

BJP sources said the party has decided to intensify its poll campaign, focussing on its political bastion of the Jammu region, where the party expects to win the maximum of its 43 seats. In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won 25 seats, almost all of these from the Jammu division.

Home Minister Shah is arriving here on Friday evening to begin his two-day poll campaign program in the Jammu division. He is expected to arrive here at 7.45 p.m. and will spend the night at the guest house.

“Amit Shah will meet party leaders in the evening today. Tomorrow (Saturday), he will address a string of party rallies in Rajouri at 11.30 am, in Thanamandi at 2 p.m. (both in Rajouri district), in Surankote at 3 pm in Mendhar at 4.45 pm. (both in Poonch district), and finally in Akhnoor at 6.15 pm (Jammu district, which goes to polls in the third and final phase on October 1) before he leaves to return to New Delhi,” a party source said.

The BJP is fighting the J&K Assembly polls without any alliance, while the Congress and the National Conference have a pre-poll alliance, covering 83 seats divided between the two parties, 31-52, respectively; two left for allies CPI-M and the Panthers Party, and five where they could not reach an agreement and will hold a “friendly fight.”.