PM will begin poll campaign in Kashmir from Saturday

The BJP’s star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to address his first election rally in Jammu and Kashmir on November 22 in Kishtwar. Mr Modi, who is likely to speak at over half a dozen rallies in the state, will also address rallies in Srinagar and Udhampur regions on November 27 and 30 respectively.

The BJP’s internal assessments give it around 40 seats in the state, including in the Valley, from where it has never had any representative in the 87member Assembly. The BJP, that bagged three out of six Lok Sabha seats in this year’s general election, has set up a war room in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area.

Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar said Monday the J& K Assembly polls were an opportunity to revive “Kashmiriyat” in the state. He however, did not comment on the abrogation of Article 370, one of the core issues of the Sangh Parivar. He said efforts should be made to get back parts of the state held by Pakistan and China.

The BJP leadership is avoiding the contentious Article 370 issue, and insists good governance and development are its key poll planks.

The state will witness a five- phase poll from November 25 till December 20. The BJP, which has given a call for “Mission 44plus”, has 11 members in the outgoing Assembly.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a

plea of the Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference seeking postponement of the Assembly polls in the flood- ravaged state. A bench comprising Chief Justice H. L. Dattu and Justice A. K. Sikri refused to

direct the EC to postpone the polls in the state on the ground that relief and rehabilitation work was still on. During the brief hearing,

senior advocate Rajeev Dhawan, appearing for the political outfit, said that free and fair election, in which all voters can participate, is not

possible in the state.