Chugh takes dig at Rahul, INDI Alliance
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 4: As a run up to upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for four vacant seats from J&K, the Core Group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met here, this morning to discuss the names of probable candidates to be fielded by the party.
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The meeting which was chaired by party national general secretary, Tarun Chugh and among others attended by Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh discussed the names of probable candidates and other issues in the UT of J&K, party sources said.
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“Though party is not in a position to win more than one seat out of four vacant seats from the UT given its strength in the House, however, it will field candidates for all four seats,” they added.
Talking to reporters soon after the Core Group meeting, BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi told reporters that no names of candidates were finalized in the meeting but the party has decided to field potential candidates for all four seats from the UT who have a good reputation in public and who can raise the issue in Rajya Sabha very effectively.
Sethi said many issues including prevailing political situation in the UT were discussed and views of Core Group members were ascertained on the Rajya Sabha elections. The Core Group held discussions that which type of representatives are needed to suit the present times and represent the UT in the Upper House.
He said, however, no final decision on selection of candidates was taken and the same will be decided by Party High Command. He said if need be the Core Group can meet again. He said every member present in the group gave his views and the final decision lies with High Command and the party men are bound to accept it.
Sethi also ruled out that any discussion was held on individual candidates.
Sethi said that no talks were held with any party seeking their support for BJP candidates but showed optimism about party’s victory. He said party is following a strategy in this regard.
In response to a question does BJP blank upon cross voting, Sethi denied outrightly saying that “We don’t believe in cross voting but fair elections”. “We may field potential and reputed candidates” he added.
Sethi said the meeting was among others attended by J&K BJP president, Sat Sharma, national secretary, Dr Narinder Singh, former Dy CM, Dr Nirmal Singh, former BJP president, Ravinder Raina, MPs Jugal Kishore Sharma and Ghulam Ali Khatana, former general secretary, Dr D K Manyal, party general secretaries, Baldev Singh Billawaria, Sangita Dogra, Gopal Mahajan and Anwar Khan, party spokesperson, G L Raina, Dr Darakshan Andarabi, former general secretary, Vibodh Gupta and Neha Mahajan, president, Mahila Morcha. However Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma who is out of J&K could not attend the meeting.
The Election Commission (EC) announced on September 25 that the elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory would be held on October 24, more than four years after they fell vacant.
Sethi said this was the initial meeting on the issue and there are no talks going on with any regional party on the subject.
The last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls is October 13. The counting of votes will be taken up in the evening of October 24, an hour after the polling concludes.
Polling for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory is being held nearly a year after the Assembly polls. The seats fell vacant in February 2021, when the terms of the then MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway ended.
Since there was no Assembly in place, the polls for the four seats could not be held. The J&K Assembly was constituted in October last year after the first Assembly election for the Union Territory, which was created in 2019.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, BJP general secretary, Tarun Chugh took Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and INDI Alliance to task for opposing every good decision of Modi Government.
He said opposition is seeing with tainted glasses of Italy and they can’t see the progress made by the country during last 11 years under Modi rule. He said Indian economy was in shambles during 2012-13 and it was on 13th and 14th number then which progressed and today “we are the fourth largest economy of the world. The credit for this goes to the policies of Modi Government which is wedded to Viksit Bharat.”
Chugh highlighted various welfare measures of Modi Government including making a separate Skill Ministry, increasing MSP and announcing three percent DA for Central Government employees.
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