Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 11: BJP is likely to field candidates for all four MLC seats of Legislative Council from Panchayat quota, the elections for which are going to be held on December 3.
According to Party sources, the BJP will field candidates for all four MLC seats meant for Panchayats and in this connection a meeting of the Party’s Core Committee and Election Committee will be held here tomorrow.
The meeting will decide the future course of action and Party strategy besides considering the prospective candidates to be fielded in the election. Party co-convener R P Singh is also visiting here tomorrow morning to participate in the meeting, sources added.
Terming the earlier reports that Party will not contest the election for four MLC seats as speculation, BJP state president, Shamsher Singh Manhas said that being a National Party “we can’t afford to stay away from elections.”
He said the Party will contest all the four seats two each from Kashmir valley and Jammu region and many candidates are in consideration but the final decision is yet to be taken.
He said this is opportune time for BJP to take part in the elections of four MLC seats reserved for Panchayats and take on alliance partners National Conference (NC) and Congress for their failure in implementing the Constitutional 73rd amendment in the State and empower the basic institutions of democracy.
He said the All J&K Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) has already threatened to boycott these elections till empowerment of Panchayats and settlement of the other demands of Panchs and Sarpanchs.
Manhas said Sarpanchs and Panchs have received threats from militants including the chairman of United Jehad Council (UJC) Syed Sallah-ud-Din and Government has failed to counter the same and restore their confidence despite the assurances given by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
The BJP is solidly behind their demand and Party right from the first day of holding the Panchayat elections was demanding implementation of Constitutional 73rd amendment in J&K to give more teeth to basic institutions of democracy.
“This has resulted into a lot of resentment among the Panchs and Sarpanchs, especially those from Kashmir valley, who feel that they have been exposed to more risk due to the failure of Government in providing security to them in the wake of the militants’ threat,” the BJP said.
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