Vikram Sharma

The BJP is likely to drop most of its former MLAs, including stalwarts, during the next Assembly elections.

The move has come in the wake of severe public criticism about the non-performance of former ministers and MLAs in the previous PDP-BJP coalition government.

Also, during the recent urban local bodies election, the party’s vote percentage has dipped which has made party leaders opt for a new strategy for the Assembly contest. Sources in the party said that sensing the state Assembly poll might be clubbed with the forthcoming parliamentary elections, the BJP think tank had decided to prepare a list of probable contestants in which only few MLAs would be repeated.

According to statistics, the BJP got 23 per cent vote share, slightly above the PDP’s 22.7 per cent in the 2014 Assembly elections.

Its big gains came from the Jammu region where it won 25 seats and a vote share of 48.1 per cent that paved the way for formation of the government with the PDP.

“As part of the government, we failed to deliver while our MLAs and MLCs maintained a distance from public issues. This has brought anger and resentment among people,” admitted a former BJP minister, on the condition of anonymity.

In the urban local bodies elections, though the party has been able to gain majority in the Jammu Municipal Corporation, it has seen a decline in the vote share. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP got 1,48,081 votes in three Assembly segments of Jammu city — Gandhi Nagar, Jammu (East) and Jammu (West) — but in the recent urban local bodies elections, the party’s votes came down to 72,503. This is 51 per cent less than the 2014 vote sare.

Party delegation meets Governor

A delegation of senior leaders of the BJP met Governor Satya Pal Malik at Raj Bhawan here on Monday. The delegation comprised BJP state president Ravinder Raina, general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul and former minister Sunil Sharma. The BJP leaders discussed with the Governor the security situation and developmental scenario in the state.

Courtesy:The Tribune,Dec 04,2018