Srinagar: The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said that the party is determined to contest the upcoming Municipal polls from each and every ward of Kashmir, saying that those who boycotted the elections did injustice with people of Kashmir.
BJP state president Ravinder Raina said that over 50 candidates from Srinagar will be filling their nomination papers on BJP’s ticket for the upcoming Municipal polls tomorrow.
He said that BJP is committed to fight elections from each and every ward in Kashmir, saying the party is hopeful that people will come out and cast their ballots.
Besides Srinagar, Raina said that the BJP will be contesting from all 17 wards of Bandipora district. He added that the maximum candidates in north Kashmir will be from BJP.
Also, Raina added that in Qazigund, Devsar and Kulgam in South Kashmir, maximum candidates will be from BJP.
He said the though the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls were not conducted in the state since long. “Now, besides political parties, it was the demand of general public that these elections should be conducted,” he said.
Raina said that the party is determined to fulfill the wishes and aspirations of people. “BJP will put its every effort to resolve every single issue pertaining to the needs of people,” he added.
Lashing out the political parties who decided to boycott the elections, Raina said it is unfortunate that those who are Member of Parliament are boycotting the elections. “By boycotting the elections, the mainstream parties in the state did injustice with people of Kashmir,” he said.
Both the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, the two biggest regional political outfits have decided to boycott the elections as they have asked the Government of India to clear its stand on the issue of Article 35-A.
Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh recently appealed political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the upcoming Panchayat and local body polls.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also decided not to participate in the polls keeping in view the prevailing situation in the valley.
State Secretary CPI(M) Ghulam Nabi Malik, in a statement said that despite majority of mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir deciding not to participate in these polls shows the arrogance of the BJP-led Central Government.
The Joint Resistance Leaders (JRL) while reiterating their call of ULB, Panchayat polls said that it is a “political gimmick to hoodwink international community”.
Congress, however decided to take part in the polls to keep ‘communal forces away.’
Moreover Sajad Lone’s Poeples Conference has also decided to take part in the upcoming civic polls.
The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said that the regional political parties have boycotted the upcoming Municipal and Panchayat elections due to fear, and added that they have apprehensions that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National conference (NC) will field proxy candidates in the polls.
(With inputs from KNS)
