As BJP says will back ‘patriotic’ parties in Valley, Sajad Lone, Altaf Bukhari inch closer

Four days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to Kashmiris to vote for any party except the Congress, National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the BJP has defended its decision not to field any candidate in the Valley for the Lok Sabha elections, saying that it is supporting “patriotic’’ parties there.

Addressing a press conference in Jammu, BJP’s J&K unit president Ravinder Raina said party leaders would soon meet BJP chief J P Nadda and other Central leaders to discuss the strategy for Kashmir. After this, names of the candidates the BJP will support will be announced, with an appeal to party workers to support them, Raina said.

Coincidentally in Srinagar, People’s Conference president Sajad Lone Saturday made an appeal to J&K Apni Party leader Altaf Bukhari seeking his support for the Baramulla seat from where he is contesting, and offering backing in return for any constituency from where the Apni Party contests.

Speculation has been rife about a possible alliance between the two parties at least for the Baramulla seat in North Kashmir. The Apni Party is seen in the Valley as propped up by the Centre, while the People’s Conference is accused by its rivals of being “a BJP proxy”.

While Lone is contesting from Baramaulla, the Apni Party has not announced any candidate for the seat.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had fielded candidates from all the three Kashmir Lok Sabha constituencies – Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla, polling only 4,631, 10,225 and 7,894 votes, respectively.

Raina said BJP leaders in Kashmir wanted the party to contest the three seats again “on our own strength’’, but that “sometimes, setting aside personal interests, different decisions are taken to achieve a big