NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir has opened channels of communication with independent MLA’s to stop the re-entry of Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to the upper house of the Parliament.

According to sources, privy to the developments, BJP had deputed its National General Secretary (Organization) Ram Madhav with a mission to woo independents in the state and make them support the BJP candidates during the voting to Rajya Sabha.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, the incumbent Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, is the Congress candidate from Kashmir, with the support of the old ally National Conference.

Pertinently, both the parties would need the backing of independent candidates in order to get elected.

While some independent MLAs- Pawan Kumar Gupta from Udhampur, Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Engineer Abdul Rashid from Langate have not yet confirmed their support to any party, CPM MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami is believed to support Azad and Independent Baqir Hussain Rizvi from Zanskar has confirmed his support to PDP.

“I have decided to vote for the PDP in the polls to elect Rajya Sabha members,” Rizvi said.

Meanwhile, Azad, whose political career seems to be in a crisis, has been trying his best to woo the independent MLA’s like Hakim Yasin and Engineer Rashid to support him during the RS polling.

Azad even met both the leaders separately yesterday.

Even though Hakim and Rashid have confirmed their meeting with Azad, both of them maintained that they have not yet decided who they would support.

“Azad sahib is my friend and friends don’t need an occasion to visit each other,” Hakim Yasin said. “I will take a call from my conscience and vote accordingly.”

Er Rashid, while confirming his meeting with Azad said, “I won’t take any decision in haste.”

The Citizen learnt that owing to Independent MLAs Pawan Kumar Gupta’s family links with the RSS, BJP is utilizing the services of some veteran Sangh leaders to convince him to support BJP candidate during the RS polling.

Gupta, while to refusing to divulge information, said that he has been approached by BJP leaders, but haven’t decided his support yet.

“It is too early to take a decision. I will decide at the appropriate time,” he said.

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