'Gupkar Gang' will test BJP's 'Kashmir policy' in upcoming district polls

While the BJP may not expect to do well against Alliance candidates in the Kashmir Valley, it must ensure a decisive win in Jammu

Nothing frightens the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) more than the prospect of a collective thumbing of the nose at its efforts to establish a homogeneous interpretation of the nation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Nothing could be more galling for it than a rejection of its Kashmir policy by a democratic vote; a prospect the party wants to avoid at all costs in the District Development Council (DDC) polls beginning in eight phases from November 28.

As the architect of a “new” Jammu and Kashmir (“Naya Kashmir”), Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s political fortunes are linked to the successful execution