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The Bharatiya Janata Party ruled out any alliance with the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir.
Minister of state for home affairs I D Swami told rediff.com that the BJP's image has already taken a beating in the state because of its association with Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah's National Conference.
"Our local unit is totally against any sort of alliance with National Conference," Swami said, and ruled out any change of mind after the elections.
"I do not know what decision Atalji (Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) and Advaniji (Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand) will take after the elections are over. But the state unit is against any alliance with the NC, that is a hard fact," says Swami on his return to New Delhi after two days in the Valley.
The minister said his recent visit to J&K was not on government business, as was widely speculated in sections of the media. "I went to campaign for the party. I addressed two meetings in Anantnag and Pulwama districts during my stay in Srinagar."
Officially, the BJP stance is that neither Vajpayee nor Advani took part in electioneering in Kashmir owing to security concerns. Party sources however indicate that two senior leaders wished to avoid having to speak about Dr Abdullah and the NC.
"If Sonia Gandhi could go and campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, certainly Atalji and Advaniji could have done the same," a senior party leader pointed out. "I think the party has kept its options open despite protests from the party unit in J&K."
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