9 senior leaders from J&K invited to meeting
*Other issues of UT may also figure
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 18: After Election Commission of India directing preparation of draft rolls for Jammu and Kashmir by August 31 and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh indicating Assembly elections in the Union Territory by the year-end, the BJP National Executive meeting on July 2 and 3 in Hyderabad may also take up issue of the Assembly elections as nine senior leaders of the party have been called to the conclave.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, UT BJP chief Ravinder Raina, party’s general secretary (Organizations) Ashok Koul, Kavinder Gupta, Dr Nirmal Singh, Priya Sethi, Drakshan Andrabi and GA Mir will be attending the National Executive meeting which will be chaired by party president Jagat Prakash Nadda and joined among others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
This will be the first full-fledged National Executive meeting of the BJP after COVID-19 and will take up preparations for Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which are due in December this year, and Jammu and Kashmir where the polls can be held after finalization of Electoral Rolls.
“Possibility of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir has gained momentum and they are likely to figure in the National Executive as nine senior leaders of the BJP from the Union Territory are attending the meeting,” the party leaders said.
Momentum for the Assembly polls has been set by the Election Commission of India which has ordered publication of draft rolls by August 31 besides rationalization of Polling Stations and completion of other formalities post-Delimitation Commission exercise. This was followed by yesterday’s statement by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that there was strong possibility of Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir being held by the year-end.
The BJP National Executive, as per the insiders, will also take up other issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir including development, militancy, targeted killings, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits etc.
“Jammu and Kashmir has always remained high on agenda of the BJP. Issues of Jammu and Kashmir are always taken on top priority by the BJP not only in all party meetings but also at the Government levels,” sources said and pointed out that recently a party delegation had also called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him in detail on the UT situation.
Sources said there have been high chances of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after publication of draft rolls on August 31 as the Delimitation Commission has already completed its task.
The Delimitation Commission has recommended that two Kashmiri migrants including one woman can be nominated to the Legislative Assembly with voting rights. It also recommended nominations for PoJK displaced persons but didn’t mention the numbers.
However, according to sources, the Central Government is considering giving three to four nomination seats to the PoJK displaced persons on the ground that 24 constituencies have been reserved for PoJK people in the Assembly and nearly one-third population had migrated here in 1947.
“Though there has been demand for reservation of eight seats for PoJK refugees settled here, the seats under consideration are three to four,” sources said.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has total of 114 seats but election will be held for only 90 constituencies—47 in Kashmir division and 43 in Jammu region–as 24 seats are reserved for PoJK.
There is already provision for nomination of two Woman to the Legislative Assembly which was the case in the previous House also when Jammu and Kashmir was a State.
Strength of Jammu and Kashmir House could reach 98 taking into account nomination of two Women and likely nomination of two Kashmiri Pandit migrants and four PoJK refugees, sources said.
The Delimitation Commission has recommended that Kashmiri migrants to be nominated to the Assembly should be given voting rights. This is in line with the Puducherry Assembly.
Sources said the power to nominate MLAs including Woman and, if approved by the Parliament, the Kashmiri Pandit migrants and PoJK displaced persons, vests with the Central Government as is the case in Puducherry Assembly.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
