Jammu State Morcha outfit merges with BJP; Congress ex-mayor joins saffron party

Jammu State Morcha, a 15-year-old political outfit which has been advocating the issue of statehood for Jammu region, on Friday merged with BJP ahead of the five-phased elections in the state.

Former Congress mayor and prominent Jaat leader Manmohan Singh Choudhary along with his supporters also joined BJP today.

"BJP received one more shot in the arm with merger of JSM under its president Varinder Gupta and joining of Congress' ex-mayor Manmohan Singh Choudhary along with his supporters besides over a dozen prominent citizens," BJP state president and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma told reporters here today.

In a function held at Jammu, the new entrants were welcomed into the party fold by Sharma and the party MP and in charge for J-K, Avinash Rai Khanna, along with election campaign committee chairman Nirmal Singh.

Sharma, while welcoming the new entrants, said that more and more people are joining BJP as the Narendra Modi wave has made them to realise that BJP is the need of the hour and parties like Congress, NC and PDP need to be shown the door for policies which resulted into mis-governance, nepotism, corruption, discrimination with Jammu and Ladakh.

He said that the people across the state are looking towards BJP with high hopes and we extend our sincere assurance that we shall come up to their expectations after BJP form its government.

Khanna said BJP has been receiving overwhelming response in all the three regions of the state and our mission 44+ is now heading towards 54+ and the party assures to end dynastic rule, give good governance and corruption-free administration.