Ram Madhav steps in to mend BJP’s fractures in Jammu

Srinagar, Aug 29: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Madhav has been in Jammu for two days, holding a series of meetings with the party leaders to quell dissent within BJP in J&K.

His visit is seen as an effort to calm the brewing dissent and ensure a united front as the party gears up for the second phase of candidate announcements.

Madhav’s deliberations are crucial as the BJP prepares to finalise its candidates for the remaining phases of polls.

“He was in Jammu for two days and left for New Delhi today,” a senior BJP leader said. “Madhav met senior party leaders and held threadbare deliberations about the remaining phases.”

The senior leader said that he met some of the disgruntled party leaders and held discussions with them.

“With the party hoping to make a significant electoral impact in the Jammu region, the BJP leadership is keen on exploring possibilities at the stage of government formation or at least having a significant say in it,” the leader said.

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary and former BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav was recently appointed the party in-charge of the assembly polls in J&K along with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

BJP is grappling with internal dissent as it prepares for the upcoming assembly polls in J&K.

The situation reached a boiling point when several party workers staged a protest at the BJP office in Jammu, expressing their displeasure over the distribution of tickets for the elections.

The protesting workers accused the party leadership of favouring turncoats, particularly those who recently defected from the Congress, over loyal long-term members.

In response to the growing unrest, BJP’s J&K unit president Ravinder Raina addressed the concerns of the agitated party workers.

“Every party worker of BJP is important to us,” Raina said.

He assured them that he would personally meet each worker to discuss their grievances and find a solution.

“I request everyone to make their point peacefully,” he said, urging calm and promising swift action to address their concerns.

The discontent among the party ranks emerged shortly after the BJP released its first list of 15 candidates for the initial phase of the elections.

The list includes candidates for key constituencies in Kashmir including Pampore, Shopian, Anantnag West, and Anantnag.

However, in a surprise move, the party also released the second list with 44 additional candidates, only to withdraw it within hours.

The abrupt withdrawal of the second list added to confusion and frustration among the party workers.

The upcoming assembly elections in J&K, which will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, are a significant test for the BJP, particularly in the context of its performance in the 2014 assembly polls when it secured 25 seats.

The stakes are high, especially as this is the first assembly election in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories.