Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told various delegations during his two-day visit to Kashmir that they should not vote for dynastic parties.
The Home Minister met delegations of the Pahari community, Sikh community and Gujjar/Bakarwals, and also had detailed discussions about party affairs with local BJP leaders.
Speaking to reporters later the leaders of the Pahari community said they had thanked the Union Home Minister for granting them the ST status for which the community had been fighting for several decades in J&K.
“We expressed our unhappiness for the BJP not fielding any candidate in the three Lok Sabha seats of the Valley. We, however, assured him that the community would abide by the decisions taken by him in such a situation,” the Pahari leaders said.
Sikh delegation members have told the Union Home Minister that the members of this community living in Baramulla, Keran and Uri are all Paharis, but they had been kept out of the ST status granted to the Paharis.
The Sikh delegation also demanded that the language in which their holy scriptures are written should be included in the Universities to preserve this language.
Bakarwal delegation also met the Union home minister. Their leaders later said that he had asked them to vote for any candidate they liked except those of the dynastic families of NC, PDP and the Congress.
Shah also met BJP leaders with whom he had detailed discussions about the political situation and the party interests in J&K.
“He said while the BJP has been strengthened at the grassroots level throughout the country, it had decided not to fight Lok Sabha elections in the Valley.
“Sometimes battles are not fought to defeat the enemy, but to check, reinforce and strengthen the party cadres. the home minister told us,” said one of the BJP leaders who attended the meeting with Amit Shah.
He also said that the Union Home Minister had asked them to ensure that every worker of the BJP should vote in the Baramulla and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats and ensure that they vote for like-minded parties to defeat dynastic parties.
The home minister told the party leaders that the BJP will fight all the Assembly seats in J&K in the elections likely to be held later this year.
Tarun Chugh, Ravinder Raina, Sunil Sharma, Darakshan Andrabi, Hina Bhat, Altaf Thakur and other BJP leaders were among those who discussed the party affairs with Amit Shah.
The annual Amarnath Yatra begins on June 29 and will end on August 19 and after that, the Assembly elections are expected to be held here.
Amit Shah arrived here on Thursday evening. He was received by the BJP leaders at the Srinagar International Airport, and the Union Home Minister drove to the Lalit Grand Palace Hotel overlooking the Dal Lake in Srinagar city.
Bakrid 2025: Muslims across India celebrate Eid al-Adha with prayers, sacrifice
The day began with special congregational prayers held at mosques and Eidgahs in cities and towns nationwide, as people gathered in large numbers to mark the sacred festival.
Vande Bharat train between Katra, Srinagar begins today; slashes travel time to just 3 hours
In a major boost to connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, regular services of the Vande Bharat Express between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra commence on Saturday.
Indian delegation meets US Officials, discusses Pahalgam terror attack, Op Sindoor
An All-Party Parliamentary Delegation from India, led by senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, met with key American lawmakers and officials to brief them on the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India’s response through Operation Sindoor.
Guv urges citizens to embrace solar energy for a pollution-free state
Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu today called upon the people of the state to contribute towards building a pollution-free environment by embracing renewable energy solutions, especially solar power.
State records normal rainfall in May this year, pre-monsoon deficiency at 16 percent
The Meteorological Centre in Agartala has reported that the state of Tripura received normal rainfall during May 2025, with a total of 419.6 mm recorded against the normal average of 403.5 mm, marking a slight 4% excess.
Minister Ratan Nath assures timely distribution of seeds
Reaffirming the state government's commitment to farmers, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Nath emphasized that soil testing is essential for better yield and sustainable agriculture.
India-Central Asia partnership a force multiplier in addressing shared regional, global challenges: PM Modi
The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, had a joint call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening, briefing him on the positive and productive discussions held during the 4th Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, that was held in New Delhi, earlier during the day.
G7 Summit participation to global outreach on terrorism — India's robust diplomacy on full show under PM Modi
Silencing doubters, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved once again that its diplomatic outreach extends far beyond the wildest dreams of opposition leaders at home or those running propaganda machines at full throttle from across the border.