Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 24: The BJP State president, Ravinder Raina, today said that his party will seek support of independents to form Chairmen of various Municipal Committees in Kashmir.
Raina while speaking to reporters at the felicitating function for the winners in ULB polls said that his party will seek cooperation of independents in forming Chairmen of Municipal Committees in Kashmir: “In Kashmir valley various BJP candidates have won but we do not have clear majority. So, we will seek cooperation of the independent candidates and try to make our Chairman. There were various places where BJP had no candidates but we supported some independent candidates there and they are in contact with us”, he said.
When asked about Mayor of Srinagar city, the BJP president said that his party has no numbers and the party which has numbers Mayor will be theirs. “The Mayor will be from the one who have numbers. Our way of work is transparent and honesty and we do not want that democracy is overpowered. Whosoever has numbers, Mayor will be from them”, he said.
“We felicitated the winning candidates of the party today. This is for the first time in the history after 70 years that we won the elections in the Valley. Our 106 candidates have won and there are various areas including Srinagar Municipal Corporation where BJP supported independent candidates have also won the elections”, Raina said.
The BJP president lauded the party workers who showed courage to contest elections when the main mainstream parties in Kashmir boycotted it. “In extreme situations when even locals political parties here boycotted the elections, at that time our workers showed courage and filed their nominations. In coming days, the BJP’s mission is development and we want that in every area, there should be development and smooth flow of funds from the central Government”, he added.
He said that his party will try for direct funding of local bodies for development. “We will try to make direct funding to the Municipal Committees and the Councils as the funds in the Finance Department are sometimes not being utilized properly. So, we will ensure that the funds are directly given to them. From last 13 years, the elections were not held here and it was everyone’s demand that there should be urban local bodies elections and Panchayat elections. So, the elections were held in the State and we want that the Panchayat elections should be conducted smoothly here so that the leadership is developed among the common masses and people should be given their right and justice”, he said.
“If you see the data of Panchayat and urban local body elections there were no candidate of BJP in Doda, Bhaderwah, kishatwar or Ramban but this time BJP participated on their own mandate in the elections in this belt. There are various areas where BJP supported independent candidates who came victorious and when the chairman’s elections of the committees will be held, BJP’s and its supported candidates will play kingmakers role”, he said.
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