BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh on Wednesday urged the J&K party unit to be prepared for assembly elections, possibly a sign that elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are imminent. Santhosh spoke at a meeting attended by Union minister Jitendra Singh, BJP national general secretary and J&K in-charge Tarun Chugh and J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina. Significantly, he made the statement days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held deliberations with party functionaries from Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi. While the Union Government stayed short of making an official announcement yet, Santhosh’s statement has raised hopes that the assembly elections in the union territory might be held this year. The elections are supposed to be held by April-May, an ideal time to do so.
But there is still doubt whether the exercise will be held at all. If elections are really to be held by around the middle of the year, by now the schedule should have been announced. As things stand, several political parties are reaching out to people, but they aren’t campaigning, still uncertain about the elections.
J&K has not had an elected government since June 2018, when Governor’s rule was imposed after the PDP-led coalition government lost its majority following the withdrawal of support by the BJP. The last four years have witnessed a drastic political makeover of the state-turned-union territory, so much so that in many aspects, the current J&K bears little resemblance to what it was pre-August 2019.
Ideally, this should have paved way for elections. Despite the odds that the BJP will play a dominant role in the future elected government in J&K, it is seen as intriguing that the polls continue to be delayed in the UT. And, in turn, this is delaying the early prospect of statehood for J&K.
The timeframe for elections that people are now looking at is the spring or summer this year. They would also be comfortable with autumn. It will be a crucial year for the BJP as the party will also be preparing for the general elections in 2024. A robust performance in J&K polls will thus be a headstart for the party. But this is likely to push the statehood for the UT further into the future and the BJP might wait for its return to power at the national level before restoring it.
Meanwhile, a majority of people in J&K would most likely prefer the elections to take place regardless of the season. If for no other reason than at least for their approachability, there is a palpable desire to see local politicians return to government.
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