The bugle for assembly elections has been sounded in Jammu and Kashmir. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Madhav has been appointed the election in-charge. Within 24 hours of this announcement, he held several meetings with local leaders to give direction to the party’s election campaign. According to many local leaders, the local unit of the party is excited about his return as the election in-charge. They had worked closely with him in 2014. Along with Ram Madhav, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has also been given this responsibility.
As BJP national general secretary in the 2014 elections, Ram Madhav, a well-known face of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was given the responsibility of drafting the party’s political and electoral narrative in Kashmir. He is credited with bringing together two parties with different ideologies – the BJP and the regional satrap People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
A senior party leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “There was very little grassroots support for the BJP in the Valley. This is because the BJP’s agenda of scrapping Article 370 and removing 35(A) resonated well with the people. Ram Madhav worked behind the scenes with regional leaders and parties to build a bridge between the people and the party. He was largely successful. The BJP did not win any seat in the Kashmir division, but secured 25 seats in the Jammu region. With this, the saffron party was in a position to negotiate for power sharing.”
Let us tell you that in the 2014 assembly elections, BJP had won 25 seats, PDP 28, Congress 12 and National Conference 15 seats.
Mehbooba had pulled her hands
The BJP’s alliance with the PDP was short-lived. The crisis in the alliance surfaced soon after the demise of then chief minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. His daughter and political heir Mehbooba Mufti backed out on the issue of continuing the alliance. Ram Madhav was then removed from the post of national general secretary in September 2020 and returned to his parent organisation RSS.
Ram Madhav’s chemistry will be useful in forming an alliance
“His return indicates that the BJP is banking on his ability to build alliances and add edge to the narrative. The party wants to leverage his expressions and media exposure to create a positive situation for the party and also to counter the opposition’s charge that the Centre violated laws to abrogate Article 370 and divide the state,” the BJP leader said.
Meanwhile, another leader said that Ram Madhav’s return is being seen as an effort by the BJP central leadership to promote local leadership and open a channel of dialogue with satraps and leaders associated with the PDP and NC.
Let us tell you that today in Jammu and Kashmir there are many political organizations like the People’s Conference led by Sajjad Lone, Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari and Democratic Progressive Azad Party of former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad which are emerging as an alternative to NC and PDP.
Will improve the narrative for BJP
Another leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “After Jammu and Kashmir lost its statehood and became a UT, there was a perception that the BJP would now be limited to Jammu and its support in the valley would completely end. Their job will be to ensure that the BJP wins most of the 43 seats in Jammu. At the same time, open its account in the valley as well. The BJP is especially eyeing those constituencies which are dominated by Gujjars and Paharis. They have got the benefit of reservation after the abrogation of Article 370. “
Let us tell you that after the delimitation of 2022, there are 43 seats in the Jammu region which is a stronghold of the BJP and 47 seats in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir division. 21 seats are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. While there are 7 seats for Scheduled Castes (SC). For the first time, 9 seats have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the UT.
This will be the first electoral test for the BJP in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370. “Ram Madhav’s ease of dealing with political leaders across party lines and his image as a moderate will be an important attribute for negotiations in the post-poll situation. If no party gets a clear mandate, Ram Madhav will prove to be helpful in opening the channel of dialogue,” a leader said.