Amit Shah likely to meet BJP workers and members of different communities in Srinagar before Baramulla votes

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar on Thursday for an overnight visit. BJP said it is an "apolitical" visit to review arrangements for the 52-day Amarnath Yatra starting from June 29, but a party leader said he will meet BJP workers and members of Gujjar Bakerwal, Pahari and Sikh community.

While BJP has not fielded any candidate on all three Lok Sabha seats of Kashmir, the communities Shah is scheduled to meet have a significant vote share in Baramulla constituency that is going for polls on May 20.

Regional parties claimed there is more than meets the eye in Shah's visit to the valley. "It is strange that he abandons BJP's election campaign and comes to Kashmir where BJP has not fielded any candidate," said former chief minister Omar Abdullah who is the opposition INDIA bloc candidate in Baramulla.


"We will win the remaining two seats of Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri," he said on the sidelines of his election campaign in the Bandipora area of Baramulla constituency.

BJP has said it will support any party other than NC, People's Democratic Party, and Congress in Kashmir.

The contest in Baramulla is mainly between Abdullah and Sajad Lone of People's Conference who enjoys support of Apni Party. Engineer Rashid of Awami Ittehad Party, who is contesting from jail and whose campaign is led by his son Abrar Rashid, is likely to make this contest interesting while chances of PDP's Fayaz Mir seem gloomy.

NC and PDP have accused Apni Party and PC of being proxies of BJP in the valley, while the latter two retorted that NC and PDP are the traditional 'A teams' of BJP, having formed governments with them and served as ministers in past BJP governments.

Sunil Sharma of BJP told reporters Shah "is here to meet people from different communities and take stock of the preparation for Amarnath Yatra". "This visit is apolitical," he added.