Amidst uncertainty and speculation over the deployment ofadditional forces in the Valley and the possibility of abrogation of article 35A, the Central leadership of the BJP today chaired the crucial meeting ofJ&K BJP’s core group in Delhi on Tuesday to deliberate on the prevailingsituation and the party’s strategy to be adopted if delimitation and Assemblypolls take place this year.

Reliable sources told that the meeting didn’t discussArticle 35 A as presumed earlier. A top BJP leader told that the meetingwas chaired by BJP working president J P Nadda and was also be attended bygeneral secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh.

While confirming the meeting, sources in the state unit saidno they discussed prevailing situation in Kashmir, BJP’s membership drive andalso the delimitation of Assembly seats. “We didn’t discuss the article 35 A asit was not on our agenda. We discussed possibility of holding early polls andparty’s preparedness,” a BJP leader, who was present in the meeting told.

He said that the party leadership asked them to stay readyfor the delimitation and the Assembly polls that are to be held along with afew more states in October-November. “We expressed our gratitude to the partyleadership for its full support and gave it our assurance that BJP will sweepthe polls in all three regions of the State whenever they are held. We alsodemanded delimitation before the Assembly polls,” said another leader.

Talking to over phone from New Delhi, BJP General Secretary(organization) Ashok Koul said that the meeting was fruitful. “We have beentold to get ready for delimitation and assembly polls. There was no mention ofarticle 35 A in the meeting,” he said.

Pertinently, given Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s emphaticassertion in Parliament of the BJP’s views on Article 370, every small changein the state’s security detail leads to frenetic speculation on the Centre’s‘agenda’. It hasn’t helped that there has been no formal word from the BJPstate unit leadership to soothe these apprehensions among thepublic. Asked why the Article 35 A wasn’t discussed, he said: “Why shouldhave we discussed Article 35A when the matter is pending before the SupremeCourt”

Dismissing statements by Opposition political parties thatthe movement of 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces to Kashmir waslinked to the Centre’s plan to abrogate Article 35A and Article 370 (specialstatus to J&K), the BJP leader said, “Kashmiri politicians are trying tostir passions ahead of the Assembly elections. They always raise such fearsahead of every election so as to create an atmosphere against pro-Indiaparties.”

Last month, the Election Commission of India had said thatit would take a decision on holding Assembly elections in the state after consultingpolitical parties, and the state and Central governments, and after theAmarnath yatra, which is culminating on August 15.