| BJP becomes pan-J&K party | | Maiden account from Kashmir, Ladakh | | Rustam
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 19: No one had ever expected that the BJP would one day become a pan-Jammu & Kashmir party, but it has actually happened. The BJP, which was never considered a major political force in the state, created a history of sorts in May 2014, when it won all the two Lok Sabha seats from Jammu and the lone Ladakh Lok Sabha seat. Its victory in Ladakh had surprised all.
The reason was that the BJP, which in 1996 won for the first time Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat and captured both the Lok Sabha seats from Jammu province both in the 1998 and 1999 general elections, had not won a single Assembly seats from the Ladakh region till then.
Even in Jammu province, the performance of the BJP in the Assembly elections was not that impressive. It was only in 1996 and 2008 that it had won eight and eleven seats, respectively, and these were its highest tallies in the state.
It had captured all these seats from Jammu province. It never opened its account either in the Valley or in Ladakh region. The BJP did contest the Assembly elections both in Kashmir and Ladakh in a big way, but with no result. In Ladakh, the Congress turned tables on it by winning three out of the four seats and the remaining fourth seat was won by the NC-supported independent candidate, who is now with the PDP. In Kashmir, it was the PDP, the NC, the Congress and the People's Conference which captured 43 out of 46 seats and the remaining three seats were won by Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Hakim Yasin and Er Rashid. The PDP won 25 seats, the NC 12, the Congress four and the PC two. The PC is supporting the BJP, which won 25 seats from Jammu province. 24 out of 25 MLAs are Hindus and the remaining MLA is a Gujjar Muslim. He won from Kalakot.
However, it was on February 18, the last date for filling nomination papers for the Legislative Council elections, that the BJP became pan-Jammu & Kashmir party.
Two of its candidates - Sofi Yusuf from Kashmir and Chering Dorjey from Leh - were elected unopposed. Of course, they would be declared elected only on February 21, the last date for the withdrawal of the nomination papers.
That the BJP would have in the Legislative Council its representatives from Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu as well after March 2, when the elections to the six seats would be held, speaks for itself. It is not an ordinary development in the political history of the state in the sense that the NC, which is the Kashmir's premier political organization and has ruled the state for decades, will have no representative from the trans-Himalayan Ladakh. It would be a great day for the BJP if it becomes part of the government as and when formed in the state. |
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