BJP president’s first visit to J&K by end of this month; top brass to join from Delhi

Mega meet also proposed in Srinagar later

JAMMU : BJP national president Nitin Nabin will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir on a three-day visit by the end of this month, his first to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after taking over as the party chief in January this year.

During his three-day tour, Nabin will spend two days in the Jammu region and one-day in the Kashmir Valley.

Senior national office bearers of the BJP, Incharge Jammu and Kashmir, will also travel here with Nabin while Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, BJP’s three MPs, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma and party’s UT chief Sat Sharma will join him here.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also proposed a mega meet in Srinagar this summer to send a message of peace in the Kashmir Valley. Exact dates of the meeting haven’t been finalized as yet but it will be held in Srinagar and will be attended by top leadership of the party. Tentatively, the meeting could take place after completion of election process in five States/UT, the insiders told the Excelsior.

However, Nitin Nabin’s visit is expected anytime after April 27 when last phase campaigning will end in sensitive West Bengal where the BJP has launched massive election campaigning with a view to wrest power in sensitive State for the first time.

After formally taking over as the party’s national president from JP Nadda on January 20, Nitin Nabin hasn’t visited Jammu and Kashmir so far and this will be his first tour to the Union Territory that will last three days.

The BJP is second largest political party in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly with 29 MLAs, the largest being the ruling National Conference with 42 legislators. Congress has six and PDP four MLAs.

With Parliament and Assembly elections still far away with due date only in 2029, Nitin Nabin will review the organizational activities of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir especially the role being played by it as largest Opposition party in the UT and roadmap to further strengthen the party to bring it to power in the next polls.

While the BJP has won all its 29 Assembly seats in Jammu division, it drew blank in the Kashmir Valley. Jammu region has 43 Assembly seats and Kashmir 47 in the total of 90. However, in the next Assembly, J&K could have 135 Assembly seats in view of amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill scheduled for passing in the Parliament in its session from April 16.

Also, a discussion is expected on five Nomination seats lying vacant in the Union Territory Assembly for last about one and a half years now. Though the matter is pending in the court, some aspirants in the BJP are desperate to take up issue with the party president for nomination of the MLAs on the ground that the Court hasn’t restrained the Competent Authority from nominations.

There has been a provision for nomination of five MLAs in the UT Assembly including two Women, two Kashmiri migrants, one of them a woman; and one Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee.

On whether Nitin Nabin will confine his visit to party headquarters and cities in Jammu and Srinagar, sources said, he will also undertake visits outside the capital cities to interact with the party workers.