Srinagar: The Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be held after the Amarnath Yatra, which concludes on August 19. The BJP national leadership, led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has directed state BJP leaders to prepare for the assembly polls, sources told India Today.
In a late-night huddle on Thursday, Amit Shah, Union Health Minister, and BJP National President JP Nadda instructed the BJP state unit leaders to prepare for the elections and conveyed that the party will contest all 90 seats.
The Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was dissolved in November 2018 ahead of the revocation of the state’s special status in August 2019. The state was divided into two Union Territories.
The party leadership has also informed the state leaders that the BJP will not enter into a pre-poll alliance with any party in the state. However, there might be seat adjustments and “electoral understandings” with “like-minded parties,” sources said.
The party will not be projecting any Chief Ministerial candidate in the run-up to the assembly polls.
In the coming days, key Union Ministers and BJP national leaders are expected to visit the state. The party will also launch a mass contact program with the people in the state. To kickstart the preparations, BJP chief JP Nadda will visit the state on Saturday and will address the state executive meeting of the party.
There will be no changes in leadership or organisational rejig in the state BJP unit, currently headed by Ravinder Raina, according to the sources. The two-hour-long meeting was attended by Raina, the party’s MPs from Jammu and Kashmir — Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma — and other top leaders.
The sources also stated that the chances of simultaneous elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Haryana assembly polls cannot be ruled out.

  Election, Kashmir 370

Agencies