The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that it will contest the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections without entering into any pre-poll alliances.
However, Union Territory chief Ravinder Raina stated on Monday that the party is exploring potential collaborations with Independent candidates in the Kashmir Valley for possible post-election partnerships.
Speaking in Jammu, Raina affirmed that the BJP is well-prepared for the elections and will soon unveil its initial list of candidates.
"The BJP will not form a pre-poll alliance with any party in J&K. We are in discussions with eight to ten Independent candidates in the Kashmir Valley. Should these talks prove fruitful, we will develop a strategy for joint contesting," he explained.
Raina expressed confidence in the party’s success, predicting that the BJP will secure a victory and form the next government in J&K. He emphasized the party’s intention to field candidates across the Valley to achieve a majority.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, supported by the Apni Party and the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) without a formal alliance, retained its seats in Jammu and Udhampur but failed to win any seats in the Valley.
Responding to former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's comments on Article 370, Raina accused the National Conference (NC) of losing ground in J&K, attributing Abdullah's remarks to the party’s diminishing influence.
Abdullah had asserted that the J&K Assembly would pass a resolution against the revocation of Article 370 as its first action after the assembly elections.