J&K Apni party leader meets Home Minister; likely to join BJP

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party vice president Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here amidst speculation that he might join the BJP ahead of next month’s assembly elections in the Union Territory.

Ali, who is an advocate, won from the Darhal assembly constituency of Rajouri district in the 2008 and 2014 assembly elections on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket. He served as a cabinet minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government from 2015 to 2018.

The coalition government collapsed in June 2018 after the national party pulled out of the government. Many PDP leaders led by former minister Altaf Bukhari subsequently founded Apni party in 2020 and Ali was one of its founding members.

A BJP leader said Ali met the home minister in Delhi and discussed with him several issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir including the assembly elections.

He has expressed his willingness to join the BJP, the leader said, adding his joining ahead of the elections will come as a major boost for the party which is eyeing to form a government in the Union Territory on its own.

The Election Commission on Friday announced assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1 and said the counting of votes would be on October 4.