- Kharge, Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka Cong’s star campaigners
Jammu, Sept 05: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the BJP’s poll campaign and release the party’s manifesto during his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir beginning Friday.
Shah’s visit comes at a critical time for the BJP in J&K as the party faces growing challenges ahead of the assembly elections with several leaders and workers protesting and some of them leaving the saffron party after being denied tickets.
“Amit Shah ji is arriving in Jammu for a two-day visit starting tomorrow. He will be arriving in the late afternoon from Delhi,” a senior leader informed.
On the first day of his visit, Shah will release the party manifesto at 4 pm here, the leader added.
Later in the evening, he will chair a meeting with party leaders and meet delegations of party workers.
Shah will officially launch the BJP’s campaign from Jammu, where he is scheduled to address a rally in the city on Saturday, he said.
His visit to Jammu is seen as crucial, given the resentment within the BJP over its ticket distribution in the Union Territory. This has prompted the party to launch a damage control exercise, deploying several top leaders, including Union ministers, to calm the situation over the past week.
Jammu district, which has 11 assembly constituencies, holds significant importance for the BJP. The party secured nine of these seats in the 2014 elections, contributing to its total tally of 25.
Shah’s launch of the campaign from Jammu is aimed at reassuring the people of the region about the BJP’s commitment to their welfare and development.
Security has been tightened in and around Jammu ahead of Shah’s visit, officials said. Multi-tier security arrangements have been made at two venues, including the media centre set up by the BJP at a hotel in the Channi area, they added.
Preparations, including security measures, are underway for Shah’s rally at Palora Top. Sanitisation operations have been conducted and area domination protocols are in place, they said.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are among the star campaigners named by the party for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.
Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Ghulam Ahmad Mir as well as Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri are also on the list the Congress has submitted to the Election Commission for the second phase of the three-phase polls.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra, former J&K Congress chief Vikar Rasool Wani, senior leaders Salman Khurshid, Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, Rajani Patil, Rajiv Shukla and Manish Tewari are also part of the 40 leaders on the Congress list.
Kickstarting the party’s election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said restoring J&K’s statehood will be the first decision of the INDIA bloc when it comes to power at the Centre if the Modi government fails to do so after the assembly polls.
Addressing rallies in the Dooru and Banihal assembly segments, Gandhi alleged that the lieutenant governor appointed by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir was acting like a “21st-century king” and all benefits were being given to people from “outside” the UT.
The Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, social media department head Supriya Shrinate, Amethi MP Kishorilal Sharma, NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV also figure on the list of star campaigners for the second phase of the polls.
The 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly will go to polls in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1, and the counting of votes will be taken up on October 8.
