SRINAGAR: The BJP will go it alone and contest on all the 87 seats of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to chase its +44 target towards forming a government on its own in the state.
In the last elections held in 2008, the BJP had won 11, National Conference 28, PDP 21, Congress 17, J&K National Panthers’ Party three seats, whereas one seat went to the CPI(M) and six to Independents.
On Monday, the party, while ruling out any pre-poll alliance or seat adjustment arrangement with any political party in the state, said it was quite confident of winning the elections hands down on its own and will form the new government. BJP in-charge for J&K Avinash Rai Khanna said: “We won’t be entering into any pre-poll alliance with any political party as we are considering fielding candidates on all the 87 Assembly constituencies in the state.”
He added, “We will surely replicate the performance in the Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. It is not just our target of +44 seats, we will go beyond it. The next J&K government will surely by the BJP’s.”
Mr Khanna, after presiding over a function at the party office in Jammu, said the BJP will soon come out with the first list of candidates. The EC Saturday announced the dates for Assembly elections in J&K and Jharkhand.
The Congress will announce its list of candidates in the next few days, J&K PCC chief Saifuddin Soz said. Its coalition partner National Conference and the Opposition PDP have already announced candidates for most seats.
Mr Khanna said the BJP’s focus would be on candidates who are capable of winning the election. “We will field candidates who have a clean image and who can deliver,” he said.
Replying to questions, he said the BJP’s manifesto was to provide “a corruption-free, fear-free and dynasty-free governance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
He also said, “We want the people of the state to give us a chance.” and if we fail they can throw us out after six years.”
