Senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta criticized regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, accusing them of misleading the public by focusing on Article 370. His comments came in response to former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s remarks, where Abdullah stated that if the National Conference formed the government in the Union Territory, a resolution would be passed in the assembly against the central government’s decision to revoke the region’s statehood and special status.
Gupta dismissed these claims, saying, “Day-dreaming is not a bad thing… They have been misleading people since the abrogation of Article 370. But nothing has changed. People have rejected their rhetoric on Article 370 in Kashmir. That’s why both former Chief Ministers were defeated in the recent Lok Sabha elections.” He was referring to Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who lost their parliamentary bids from the Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri seats, respectively.
Looking ahead to the upcoming assembly elections, scheduled to be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, Gupta expressed optimism that the BJP would emerge as the leading party. He mentioned that the candidate selection process was underway and that the central leadership was in discussions. “We are in election mode, and we hope the elections conclude properly with the BJP emerging as the biggest party,” Gupta stated.
The Election Commission of India has outlined that polling in the Union Territory will take place in three phases, with vote counting scheduled for October 4. There are 90 assembly constituencies in total, with 74 general, nine reserved for STs, and seven for SCs. The electorate includes over 87 lakh voters, with a significant portion being first-time voters. This election marks the first assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, following the last one in 2014 and the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government in June 2018. The Supreme Court had directed the central government to complete the election process by September 30, 2024.