BJP is ready for the PM’s maiden trip to Srinagar after the removal of Article 370

The Bharatiya Janata Party is wrapping up arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March 7 visit to Kashmir. According to party officials, they anticipate around one lakh people attending Modi’s first rally in the Valley since Article 370 was repealed in 2019. On Thursday, Modi will speak at a rally at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar.

This will be the PM’s second rally in J&K in recent days and his first in Kashmir in nine years. In addition, Modi will preside over a high-level developmental review conference concerning the Union Territory, where he will be informed about the security situation in the Valley and the current initiatives.

Top leaders attended the BJP’s review meeting on Saturday in Srinagar, which was facilitated by general secretary Sunil Sharma. The meeting’s purpose was to examine the rally’s plans.

Altaf Thakur, the J&K spokesman for the BJP, said that the party’s members were excited to hear from Modi and were in the process of organizing their cadre around the Valley for the next event.

“We anticipate that the rally will draw over one lakh participants. During his time as PM, Modi has significantly advanced J&K, Thakur said.

On March 4, the BJP will convene again under the direction of Tarun Chugh, a senior leader of the party and the person in charge of J&K issues.

A gathering in Anantnag, south Kashmir, was also originally scheduled, but party officials with knowledge of the plans say it has been postponed till a later date.

On February 3, 2019, the Prime Minister traveled to Kashmir to officially launch and set the groundwork for a number of development initiatives pertaining to higher education, healthcare, skill development, and employment in the former state.

At a rally in Jammu, the state’s winter capital, on February 21, Prime Minister Modi dedicated and lay the cornerstones for ₹32,000 worth of projects in J&K.

When the BJP and the Peoples Democratic Party were leading a coalition government in J&K, Modi gave a speech at a rally at the SK Stadium in Srinagar in November 2015.

A central package of ₹8,000 crore was promised by Modi for the valley area. Since then, the BJP’s presence and popular outreach have grown across J&K, particularly in Kashmir. Party officials said that the purpose of the gathering is to expand the party’s voter base for the next Lok Sabha elections while also fortifying the party’s position in Kashmir.

The party is also hoping to win the parliamentary seat in Anantnag, which was delimited to include a large portion of Poonch and Rajouri.