J&K Elections 2024: PM Modi's Doda Rally Marks The First Prime Ministerial Presence In Half A Century, Signaling a Major Political Shift
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Doda in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to address a public rally for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the Union Territory. This visit marks a historic moment, as it will be the first time in nearly 50 years that a sitting Prime Minister has visited Doda.
The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are set to take place in three phases, on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 8. The elections hold significant importance as they will be the first since the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the rally venue on Friday to review the preparations for Prime Minister Modi's public meeting on September 14. Expressing the excitement among the public, Singh noted, "There is a lot of excitement among the public as PM Modi has given priority to remote areas?In the past 10 years, a lot of development has taken place in Doda." He further highlighted the significance of this visit, stating that it will send a strong message about the government's efforts in bringing remote areas on par with developed regions.
Jammu and Kashmir, which has 90 Assembly constituencies, including seven reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and nine for Scheduled Tribes (STs), has not seen Assembly elections since 2014. In the last elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) secured 28 seats, the BJP won 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) took 15, and the Congress managed to win 12 seats. The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 after the BJP withdrew support from then-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
With 88.06 lakh eligible voters in the Union Territory, the upcoming elections are poised to shape the political future of the region. Prime Minister Modi's rally in Doda is expected to galvanize support for the BJP, particularly in remote areas that have seen significant development under the current government.
