The Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit on Saturday authorised the party highcommand to decide whether it should contest the byelection for two Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir against its own ruling coalition partner PDP.
However, there were indications that the BJP highcommand might not allow the state unit to contest the election provided the PDP was against the strategy. The local BJP unit's strategy was to put up its candidates to prevent polling of votes of migrant Kashmir Pandits in favour of the Congress–National Conference alliance.
A high-level meeting of top BJP leaders and ministers was held here today to discuss the issue and also finalize candidates for the six seats of the Legislative Council that are falling vacant next month. The PDP and BJP on basis of their strength in the Assembly will contest two seats each.
The selection committee will forward the panel of BJP candidates to the high command for final choice.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and Avinashrai Khanna were present in the meeting.
Several party activists urged the leadership to field BJP candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats.
Ram Madhav said that the BJP would observe the coalition dharma and the alliance was working smoothly.
He said that the separatists need to be exposed as on one hand their leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani was spitting venom against Constitution of the country and on the other hand feels no problem when his kin is appointed on government job under the same constitution.
He said that the separatists were misleading the youth of valley and making them indulge in stone pelting and such other activities.