J-K polls: Final decision to be taken by Election Commission, BJP is always ready, says BJP J-K chief

New Delhi [India], July 7 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu and Kashmir chief Ravindra Raina on Friday said that the final decision regarding the Assembly elections in the Union Territory has to be taken by the Election Commission, adding the BJP is always ready for all kinds of polls.

On being asked when the elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir, Raina said, "As far as Bharatiya Janata Party is concerned, we are fully prepared for all kinds of elections, be it Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha elections. Even in the context of Jammu and Kashmir, the final decision has to be taken by the Election Commission," Ravindra Raina said.

Raina further said, "BJP is holding meetings at the state and national level to discuss and plan for the elections. Today's northern region meeting was a part of the same episode. A discussion was also held in the context of Jammu and Kashmir."

The BJP chief said that development works have increased in the UT on a large scale, adding every section of the society is getting justice.

"The biggest thing is that the way the situation has become normal in Jammu and Kashmir, the incidents of stone pelting has ended, development works have increased in Jammu and Kashmir on a large scale and every section of the society is getting justice today. Be it Gurjar Bakarwal, OBC, Valmiki, Gorkha, or women, every section of society has got justice. We have discussed this and have thanked Prime Minister Modi ji", Raina added.

Raina further said that the meeting held in Delhi today chaired by BJP national president JP Nadda was a purely organizational meeting.

"Our President JP Nadda and the National General Secretary have discussed with all the leaders who were present in the meeting regarding the party work expansion plan, the prior program of the party, feedback about the "Maha Jan Sampark" campaign, and the future programs of the party. The state presidents and general secretaries of different provinces were also present. This was a purely organizational meeting", he said.

BJP president JP Nadda has called upon party units in the "northern region" at a special meeting earlier today in Delhi to achieve a "51 per cent" vote target in every booth in view of upcoming assembly polls and Lok Sabha polls next year and asked the concerned general secretaries to formulate strategies for it in about 10 days.

All general secretaries, state-in-charges, state presidents, and important leaders of the northern region attended the meeting chaired by the BJP chief.

As per the sources, the meeting stretched for about 6 hours.

According to sources, the BJP chief stressed the importance of securing over 51 per cent of the votes in favour of the party at every polling booth.

This region comprises states such as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gujarat, Daman Diu-Dadar Nagar Haveli, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP, for the first time, is holding region-wise meetings of the three zones- the eastern, northern and southern, on July 6, 7, and 9 respectively.

Earlier on Thursday, the meeting for the eastern region was held in Guwahati. The eastern region includes West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Assam, apart from Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.

BJP National General Secretary B.L Santosh, state unit presidents, state in-charges, and important leaders participated in the meeting.

During the meeting on Thursday, the BJP reviewed the overall progress of the states and planned the area-wise strategy for the upcoming elections, sources told ANI.

The meeting with the leaders of the southern region is scheduled in Hyderabad on July 8. The southern region includes Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep.

The BJP is gearing up ahead of the five upcoming state assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram to be held later this year as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.