Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 17: Even as there seems no possibility of mid-term polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party is learnt to be devising a long term strategy for ensuring the party victory in next Assembly elections.
Notwithstanding the failures of State Government, more particularly the BJP ministers to deliver, the party has planned to go offensive and zero in the Congress stalwarts in their respective home constituencies. For the purpose, five senior Congress leaders, including Sham Lal Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Jugal Kishore, Tara Chand and Dr Manohar Lal are on the BJP radar.
According to the highly placed sources in BJP circles, the strategy in this regard has been chalked out at the top level and in consultation with the RSS brass, which is concerned over the immature political behaviour of the party leaders at State level.
As per the strategy, the saffron brigade has decided to keep the identified Congress leaders busy in their home constituencies with extra focus on developmental works and personal touch with the locals. Even as these Congress leaders had to face defeat in the last Assembly elections owing to consolidation of other votes in favour of BJP candidates, there was no decrease in their popularity as was evident from number of votes polled to them, sources explained.
In view of the strong hold of these Congress leaders in their respective Assembly constituencies, sources said that the BJP has planned to check them at their home and therefore a multipronged strategy is being adopted. Besides concentrating on the developmental issues, special emphasis is being made on local issues and locals of these five constituencies. While Dr Nirmal Singh, Kavinder Gupta and Ajay Nanda, who have replaced Dr Manohar Lal, Raman Bhalla and Jugal Kishore, respectively, are already occupying important position in the new dispensations and hence can take care of their constituencies, both Dr Krishan Lal and Rajiv Sharma, who represent Khour and Akhnoor constituencies, respectively, are being empowered indirectly.
In this regard, sources added, directions have been made to the BJP ministers to give priority to the recommendations of these two MLAs and ensure that the duo may feel being in power and thus could effectively deliver to their people. |
