PM Modi's meeting likely to discuss Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir

(PTI) New Delhi, Dt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday invited 12 leaders, including four former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, to a high-level meeting on June 9 to discuss the future of Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting is expected to work out a blueprint for holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Secretary Ajay Bhalla has telephonically invited prominent leaders of eight political parties to attend a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister's residence at 3.00 pm on Thursday. These parties include the National Conference, the PDP, the BJP, the Congress, the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, the CPM, the People's Conference and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. The meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Modi will hold his first meeting with the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir after the Modi government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2014 and divided the state into two Union Territories.

The Center, headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Desai, is all set to hold assembly elections in both the Union Territories by December this year or March next year after the delimitation commission completes the re-drawing of constituencies in the next few months, officials said. The invited leaders include four former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

Meanwhile, parties, including the Congress, the National Conference and the PDP, which want to restore special status to Jammu and Kashmir and reintroduce Article 30, are hesitant to attend a meeting with the Prime Minister. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the agenda of the meeting was not clear. However, we will decide in the meeting whether to attend the meeting or not. The National Conference and the Congress also said they would decide to attend the meeting after discussions with the party.