Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced during his ongoing visit to Srinagar that the BJP intends to compete for all 90 seats in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Shah’s two-day visit to Srinagar included meetings with state BJP representatives at the Lalit Palace hotel on May 16, where he emphasized the party’s preparedness for the forthcoming elections later this year.

During the discussions, Shah expressed remorse over the BJP’s absence from the Lok Sabha elections in three crucial Kashmir constituencies – Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag-Rajouri. He urged party members to work towards eliminating the political dominance of regional parties like the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), J&K Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Congress in the Union Territory.

Shah’s visit coincided with a notable turnout of 38.49 percent in the recent Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency elections, the highest since 1996. 

However, Shah’s visit drew criticism from regional political parties, questioning its timing amidst ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the valley, where the BJP is not contesting. Omar Abdullah, the National Conference chief and candidate for Baramulla, raised concerns about the Home Minister’s departure from election campaigning to visit a region where his party isn’t participating in the polls.