Ready for assembly and parliamentary elections in J-K: BJP

January 19, 2019 21:22

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Saturday his Bharatiya Janata Party was ready for assembly and parliamentary polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in J&K's Gool in the hilly Ramban district, he said, "It is not in my control to say when the elections will take place or whether parliamentary and assembly elections in the state will be held together."

"The Election Commission is an independent constitutional body and will take a decision on the schedule of the elections in the state on its own after a review... The BJP is ready for the elections, even if it is held today," he said.

Jammu and Kashmir is currently under President's rule.

Accusing the previous governments of neglecting the hilly districts of the state, the Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said, "Development of hilly and far-flung areas, including the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir, is the priority of the central government."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given clear-cut directions for accelerating the pace of development in the mountainous areas to bring them at par with the plains, he said.

He said a major bridge over the Chenab river is coming up in Ramban. The project has been sanctioned and the work will start anytime soon.

He directed the deputy commissioner of Ramban to submit a proposal for a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gool. -- PTI

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