J&K Assembly polls: BJP likely to contest 60-70 seats, prominent leaders may be dropped, say sources

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to contest around 60-70 assembly seats in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. During the party's Central Election Committee meeting, it was also decided that prominent faces would be dropped in the Jammu region, India Today reported citing sources. 

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's top leadership, including Amit Shah and JP Nadda. 

The party will contest the elections independently without forging an alliance with any party. In the Kashmir Valley, the saffron party will back strong independent candidates instead of fielding its own candidates, sources said. 

Elections to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be held in 3 phases -- September 18, September 25, and October 1. Results will be announced on October 4. 

Meanwhile, the National Conference and the Congress have forged an alliance ahead of the assembly elections. The two parties have also finalised the seat-sharing for the assembly polls, as per National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. 

The Congress wants to contest 12 seats in the Kashmir Valley while offering 12 seats to the NC in the Jammu division. Jammu division has 43 Assembly seats whereas Kashmir 47. A key focal point for this alliance is their demand of statehood for Jammu & Kashmir. 

Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in almost a decade.

In 2014, the BJP and Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) formed a coalition government, wherein Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Chief Minister.

After Sayeed passed away, Mehbooba Mufti was the CM after a short period of Governor's Rule. The BJP walked out of the coalition government in June 2018, after which the Assembly was dissolved in November 2018. Since then, J&K has been without an elected government. 

In 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status under Article 370 was revoked. Since then, the region has been under Governor's Rule. 

(With inputs from Himanshu Mishra)