Will Achieve Our Target Of 45 Seats In J&K: Ram Madhav

Srinagar- BJP election in-charge for J-K Assembly elections, Ram Madhav on Wednesday said that the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will prove to be historic adding that a new government will be formed under the leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP leader also joined the party candidate Aijaz Hussain from Lal Chowk constituency in Balhama on the outskirts of Srinagar city as he went to file his nomination.

“This will prove to be a historic election. We have full faith that those families because of whom the people of the valley, Jammu have been going through a huge tragedy for the past 34 years, will be freed. We have full faith that a new leadership will emerge in Jammu and Kashmir,” Madhav said.

Mahav said that the party is hoping to get 45 seats—35 in Jammu and 10 in Kashmir. “We need people’s support in getting at least 10 seats in Kashmir. If this happens and this should happen and has to happen so that those who ruined J&K for years are kept at bay,” he said.

Madhav confirmed the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Jammu on September 6-7 stating that after Shah’s visit Prime Minister Narendera Modi and other leaders will also visit J&K for campaigning. “Shah will release the party manifesto in Jammu,” he said.

Ram Madhav also accused the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party of taking support from ex-militants for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, and said the two parties want to take the Union territory back to its “trouble-filled days”.

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Referring to the Abdullahs and Muftis, Madhav, who is the party’s in-charge for J&K, said the two families need to be shown the door.

“I have information that ex-militants are openly campaigning for the candidates of the NC and PDP. The people will have to defeat the parties who want to take J&K back to its bad days and support new leadership which wants peace and progress,” Madhav told reporters here.

Asked about many young faces contesting the polls, the BJP leader said this is the strategy of the people of J-K as they want new leadership.

“A good number of youth are coming forward and they should be supported. This state was under the grip of two families, those two families need to be shown the door. This state needs to be rid of those families,” he said, referring to the families of NC president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

Asked whether the BJP will ally with any party if there is a fractured mandate, Madhav said the BJP will emerge as the single largest party, but “if there is such a situation, we will discuss it afterwards”.

He welcomed the entry of former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (Jei) into the election fray.

“There is space for everyone in a democracy. We welcome everyone who wants to come forward to contest elections through democracy. But, no one should contest the polls using the support of terrorists and ex-militants. The polls will be held peacefully and in a transparent manner. That is the assurance of (Narendra) Modi, like the Parliament polls were conducted in a transparent manner.

“Many people (former members of JeI) have realised that elections are conducted here in a free and fair manner. So, that is why they have come forward to contest, and we welcome everyone who wants to contest,” he added.

Earlier on Monday, BJP released the fourth list of candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and fielded party unit chief Ravinder Raina from the Nowshera constituency.

The BJP has fielded Arif Raja from the Eidgah seat, Ali Mohammad Mir from the Khansahib seat, Zahid Hussain from the Chrar-i-Sharif seat and Vibodh Gupta from the Rajouri (ST) seat.

In its third list, the party fielded Murtaza Khan from Mendhar, Sunil Bhardwaj from Ramnagar (SC), Chowdhary Abdul Ghani from Poonch Haveli, Pawan Gupta from Udhampur West, Mohd Iqbal Malik from Thannamandi, and Baldev Raj Sharma from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, among others.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8. Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

As per the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors.

In the previous Assembly elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12.

These upcoming elections will be the first in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. (with inputs from Agencies)

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