Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 4: As a high-level team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is arriving in Jammu and Kashmir on a three-day visit from August 8 to review preparedness for the much-awaited Assembly polls in the Union Territory, the central leadership of the BJP has directed local leadership to prepare panels of potential candidates within a week.
Highly placed sources in the BJP said that the party’s central leadership has decided to give a final touch to the preparations for the Assembly polls.
“After the August 5 rally at R S Pura to celebrate five years of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A, the BJP leadership would complete the process of setting up panels of potential candidates for all the 90 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir”, sources said.
Sources said that the national general secretary (organization) B L Santosh is likely to visit Jammu next week to review preparations for the Assembly polls in the Union Territory.
Following directives from the central leadership, the BJP has initiated the process of preparing panels of three potential candidates for each assembly segment in J&K.
Sources indicate that the BJP aims to secure maximum support from Hindu-majority seats in Jammu province and Pahari-speaking communities in Kashmir province, positioning the party to achieve a majority independently.
The BJP has con The party’s central leadership has decided to give a final touch to the preparations for the Assembly polls.
After the August 5 rally at R S Pura the BJP leadership would complete the process of setting up panels for all the 90 Assembly seats in J&K.
BJP aims to secure maximum support from Hindu-majority seats in Jammu province and Pahari-speaking communities in Kashmir province.
The BJP has conducted surveys to evaluate the performance of its former MLAs, including those who served as ministers in the previous PDP-BJP coalition government.
Highly placed sources revealed that the BJP employed private agencies to gather feedback on potential candidates. The party received performance reports of its former MLAs and MLCs before the upcoming polls, with ticket allocation decisions based on these assessments.
The assessment process, conducted with utmost secrecy, also considers the public conduct of ex-legislators in addition to their performance in their constituencies.
Reports said that the full Commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will be visiting J&K from August 8 to hold meetings with political parties and officials to review preparedness for the polls.
Additionally, they will also hold discussions with police to review security arrangements for the polls. The ECI announced its visit to J&K two days after it directed the J&K government to shift officers serving in their home districts and also those who have served in a particular district for three years during the past four years. | 