This is the million dollar question that elections are being held in Jammu Kashmir five years after imposing President’s rule for about six years and abolishing Article 370, so what is the BJP’s plan for it? It is not possible that the government is holding elections only under the pressure of the Supreme Court. It must have thought about it and the conditions must have seemed favourable, that is why elections are being held. But no one is able to understand what is the BJP’s strategy for contesting the elections and the more important question is what is the plan after the elections? Amit Shah said in Jammu on Saturday, August 7, that this time the government of Jammu Kashmir will be formed from the Jammu region. Okay. Last time BJP had got 25 seats out of 37 in Jammu. This time there are 43 seats in this region, so if BJP performs very well, its seats will increase to 30. But the majority figure is 46!
On the other hand, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said that BJP is betting on small parties of Jammu Kashmir and independent candidates. But will regional parties like Jammu Kashmir People’s Conference and Apni Party get enough seats so that BJP can form the government with their help? Most of the candidates contesting as independents and capable of winning are separatists, some of whom are in jail. One separatist in jail defeated Omar Abdullah in the Lok Sabha elections and now another separatist in jail is contesting against Omar in the assembly elections. So the big question is whether BJP can take help from separatists too? Awami Ittehad Party of jailed Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid is contesting the elections. It is likely to win some seats. Can BJP take its help too to form the government? Remember that in the 2014 elections, all the big leaders of BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called PDP separatist and supporter of terrorism but after the elections, the same PDP was made to form the government.