SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to engage with all 28 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators from Jammu and Kashmir to chart out a political roadmap for the Union Territory. If a visit to Jammu does not materialize, the meeting will be convened in New Delhi.
This initiative aims to ensure the party’s agenda is executed effectively while advancing developmental projects in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions.
According to sources, Shah assured Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, the BJP MLA from Paddar, of the Centre’s commitment to the region during their meeting in New Delhi.
The discussion reportedly centered on reinforcing the party’s foothold and pushing forward developmental projects, particularly those under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs).
The BJP secured 29 seats in the September-October 2024 Assembly elections but lost one of its senior leaders, Nagrota MLA Devender Singh Rana. This reduced the party’s strength to 28 MLAs, leaving it short of a majority.
The party leadership is keen to ensure that the Jammu region, which overwhelmingly backed the BJP by securing all 29 seats from the 43-member Assembly, does not suffer due to the lack of a clear majority.
Shah has reportedly directed Sunil Sharma, who also leads the BJP Legislature Party, to ensure strict adherence to constitutional norms during the upcoming budget session beginning March 3.
This session will be the first under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the finance portfolio and is set to present the 2025-26 budget.
With the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019, the legislative proceedings will now function under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
The Business Rules Committee, led by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, is framing new procedural guidelines.
A key focus of the Home Minister’s discussions was security and law enforcement. He assured Sharma that the government is devising a robust strategy to combat drug trafficking, as illicit substances are reportedly being used to fund terrorism in the region.
Addressing rising crime, including shootings and burglaries in Jammu, Shah emphasized that security measures were recently reviewed and will be reassessed to maintain peace and stability. Security forces and agencies have been directed to enforce law and order rigorously.
Shah also confirmed plans to bolster Village Defence Guards (VDGs) with enhanced weaponry and training to counter terrorist threats.
During the meeting, Sharma raised concerns over a violent attack on an ex-serviceman’s family in Kulgam, urging Shah to facilitate their rehabilitation and ensure educational support for the affected children.
Meanwhile, by-elections for two Assembly seats—Budgam and Nagrota—are expected in March or April. Omar Abdullah vacated the Budgam seat while retaining Ganderbal, and the Nagrota constituency was left vacant following Devender Singh Rana’s passing.
Additionally, five MLAs—two women, two Kashmiri Pandits (one of whom is a woman), and a refugee from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)—are yet to be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor.
The Union Territory’s four Rajya Sabha seats have remained unoccupied since February 2021, with elections anticipated soon.
