By IANS,
Jammu : Top leaders of political parties, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, are to address public meetings and rallies in Jammu region over the next two days for the “icing on the cake” of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election campaign that ends Monday for the final phase.
The Dec 24 seventh and final phase will see 13 seats in Jammu region – 11 in Jammu district and two in newly carved out adjoining Samba district – going to the polls. The remaining eight seats, of the 21 where polls are being held, are in the Kashmir valley.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and its prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani will be visiting the state for the first time for electioneering Saturday. He will address rallies in Jammu and Samba districts, party leaders here said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address a rally in support of the party candidates on Dec 21. This will be her second election campaign tour to the state. On Dec 3, Gandhi had addressed elections rallies in Uri in the Kashmir valley and Doda in the Jammu region.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and party general secretary Amar Singh are to visit Jammu district Sunday to campaign for their party candidates.
While the BJP is raking up the Hindutva plank following the two-month-long Amarnath land row, the Congress party wants to stress on its development work.
The National Conference has gone to the people saying the Congress-PDP coalition government during the last six years has “spelt disaster for the state in all spheres”. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too has become a force to reckon with in the state.