The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held in September this year, Union MinisterG Kishan Reddy said on August 5, the fifth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to the erstwhile state.
Reddy, who is also the election in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir, urged people in the Union Territory to vote the saffron party to power to maintain the ‘development tempo’ and root out terrorism.
Reddy said the activities of Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI have been largely curtailed in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation ofArticle 370 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on August 5, five years ago and warned the neighbouring country against supporting terrorism in the Union Territory, news agency PTI reported.
Reddy is Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region.
Jammu and Kashmir has been under Central rule since June 19, 2018, following the collapse of a coalition government headed by the People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti after the pullout of its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP). Manoj Sinha is the present Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of the UT.
Reddy, who is also election in-charge of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, was addressing 'Ekatma Mahotsav' rally organised by his party on the fifth anniversary of Article 370 abrogation at the Bana Singh Stadium here in the outskirts of Jammu. BJP national general secretary in-charge Jammu and Kashmir Tarun Chugh and UT's BJP president Ravinder Raina were among the other prominent speakers.
On July 31, Raina said that the BJP will form the next government on its own in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The Assembly elections will be held in September and we are sure that the people will vote the BJP to power with full majority given the changes which have been brought by the party by revoking Article 370 and extending B R Ambedkar's Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir," the minister said.
Last year, during a hearing on the Article 370 abrogation case, the Supreme Court directed the poll panel to hold assembly elections in the UT by September 30, 2024.
"People have to decide which government they want in J&K, the one which is talking about article 370 or the BJP-led government which wants to take J&K to new heights of development, peace and prosperity," he said.
The BJP leader's remarks came days after the Election Commission of India asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer out officers posted in their home districts, a routine exercise it holds before conducting elections. Also, the poll panel, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will visit Jammu and Kashmir from August 8-10 to review preparedness for assembly polls in the UT.
The order assumed significance, indicating that assembly polls in the Union Territory are imminent. The poll panel has issued similar directions to the chief secretaries of Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand, the three states going to assembly polls later this year.
Reddy also asked people not to vote for Congress and the National Conference because if they returned to power, there was the possibility of revival of terrorism and separatism. The BJP, he said, is the only party which can ensure peace by not allowing Pakistan and its sponsored terrorists to target Indian citizens.
(With PTI inputs)
