No star campaigner from J&K BJP for Punjab polls

Alliance with PDP could be exploited by rivals

ADHIRAJ MALHAN

JAMMU: With barely twelve days left for polling in Punjab elections, no 'high profile' leader from Jammu and Kashmir unit of Bhartiya Janta Party has been invited for campaign by their counterparts in the neighbouring state.
Even though BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Manhas is currently in Punjab and the Lok Sabha Member Jugal Kishore attended a rally addressed by the Prime Minister a few weeks ago but the Punjab unit of BJP has not requested their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts as 'star campaigners'.
Sources in the party believed that BJP's alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party could be a reason for the Punjab unit not inviting star campaigners from Jammu and Kashmir. BJP fears that the Aam Aadmi Party, which is one of the four major contenders in Punjab this election, might want to exploit the conspicuousness of Jammu and Kashmir BJP leaders as the party has been critical of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Last year a Minister from the Aam Aadmi Party had made use of the presence of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti at a tourism related event in Delhi to hog limelight by describing PDP as friendly to the separatists.
During assembly elections of state in 2014, the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir used full strength of leaders from different states including Punjab and Himachal Pardesh to achieve mission 44 plus. Senior leaders from other states carried out poll campaign and other exercise to garner the support of masses and camped here till election was over. In Jammu and Kashmir election was held in five phases keeping in view the topography and weather conditions of the state.
While a small group of BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir is campaigning in some close-by districts like Pathankote but no Minister has been invited for the campaign.
For Punjab elections only five leaders from Jammu and Kashmir have been assigned for the poll campaign in Punjab. Member Parliament Rajya Sabha Shamsher Singh Manhas have been authorized for campaign incharge of five constituencies of Pathankote and adjoining areas. All Morcha Prabhari, Munish Sharma will campaign in Deenanagar, while Rajiv Charak, Aseem Gupta and Inderjeet from Kathua are also campaigning in their respective allotted constituencies. Few more leaders on their own are campaigning in Punjab elections.
Sources disclosed The News Now that Punjab BJP unit has not demanded or requested the J&K BJP unit to send more leaders for campaign. Ministers of the coalition government and MLAs of Jammu and Kashmir are busy in budget session which will conclude on Feburary 6, 2017 two days after the polling. In off days of assembly session, some ministers and MLAs may join the campaign out of solidarity with their personal contacts.
It is pertinent to mention here that election for 117 seats of Punjab assembly polls is in full swing as twelve days have been left for polling scheduled on February 14, 2017. The Election Commission of India has declared that polling will be held in Punjab in a single phase on February 4, 2017 and results will be declared on March 11, 2017.