Out of 51, Jammu to get one big rally to be addressed by PM or HM
*Bugle for Lok Sabha electionsto be sounded
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the people right up to booth level on June 23, the martyrdom day of RSS ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee who sacrificed his life for ‘Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan’ (One constitution, One head and One symbol) in Kashmir in 1953, which will be start of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign for Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in April-May 2024.
Modi will address people through video conferencing at nearly 7500 polling booths in Jammu and Kashmir and a total of 10 lakh booths across the country, the party leaders told the Excelsior.
His address from New Delhi will be streamed live at about 5200 polling booths in Jammu region and around 2300 in Kashmir division, they said, adding this is for the first time that the Prime Minister will directly address the people at booth levels in the Union Territory.
As per the party leaders, the Prime Minister will address the people at nearly 10 lakh booths across the country on June 23. This is being seen as the biggest ever exercise by the BJP and could well be start of election campaign by the party for 2024 Parliamentary elections.
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was martyred in Kashmir after being jailed following his arrest at Lakhanpur when he wanted to enter Jammu and Kashmir without permit in support of his slogan for implementation of ‘Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishaan’ which wasn’t applicable in Jammu and Kashmir which had then separate Prime Minister, Constitution and Flag.
It was on August 5, 2019 that Narendra Modi-led BJP Government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India and completely fulfilled the dream of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
It was for the first time that a major project in Jammu and Kashmir–the Chenani-Nashri-tunnel–was named after Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on the intervention of Union Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and MP of the area Dr Jitendra Singh though the then Chief Minister and BJP ally Mehbooba Mufti was reluctant to do so.
“Now it will be a befitting tribute to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee that the Prime Minister will reach out to the people right up to booth level at 10 lakh booths across the country including 7500 in Jammu and Kashmir on the day Mukherjee sacrificed his life for the cause of J&K,” BJP president Ravinder Raina said.
He said out of 51 big rallies proposed by the BJP leadership next month in the country on completion of nine years of Narendra Modi Government, Jammu and Kashmir unit will get one which will either by addressed by the Prime Minister or the Home Minister, in Jammu.
A final decision on this including name of the VVIP, date and venue is likely to be taken shortly, the party leaders said, adding that UT BJP chief Ravinder Raina is in touch with national party leadership over this.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP headed by Ravinder Raina has already started preparations for the Prime Minister’s address at booth levels on June 23.
The BJP UT unit is committed to make the programme a big hit, the party leaders said, adding apart from 2024 Parliamentary polls, the BJP is also gearing up to face Municipal and Panchayat elections which are scheduled to be held between September and November this year as the Urban and Rural Local Bodies are completing their five-year term.
During 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won both seats with Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma emerging victorious from Udhampur and Jammu. However, this time, the BJP is eyeing third seat as well which has been created by merging some areas of Rajouri-Poonch with South Kashmir after delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.
However, if the Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies elections are held on time, the BJP J&K unit will contest them on its own as is the case in other States/Union Territories.
Panchayat and ULB polls were held between October-December 2018 during President’s Rule. While Municipal elections were held after 13 years, the Panchayat polls were conducted after nearly four decades.
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