Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held an exclusive meeting with the eminent political leaders of all parties in Jammu & Kashmir to discuss the road ahead after almost two years of silence since the state has lost its special status after the abrogation of Article 370.

In the meeting, PM Modi has assured all-party leaders that the Centre govt is planning to conduct assembly elections in J&K along with state’s restoration once the delimitation exercise is over.

14 leaders from Jammu & Kashmir had taken part in the meeting convened by PM Modi at his residence in New Delhi on June 24. Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Kashmir Manoj Sinha were also present in the all-party meeting.

Here are the key points:

1.   Delimitation exercise: Delimitation is a prerequisite for the conduct of Assembly polls -- something which the authorities and the political class are looking forward to as they seek to kick the political process into a higher gear, an objective which, along with speeding up of development required in the union territories. In the meeting, the Prime Minister said the government is keen to exercise this step so polls can be conducted at the earliest.

2.   Assembly Elections: The all-party leaders have put their demand in front of PM Modi to hold the assembly elections in J&K at the earliest to restore a democratically elected government. It is to be noted here that J&K has not democratically elected the government since June 2018 when the Mehbooba Mufti’s government shattered after the BJP had chosen to withdraw its support to her government. 

Also Read: PM's 1st meet with J&K leaders after Article 370 abrogation begins: What's at stake

3.    Statehood for J&K: The 14 leaders from J&K gathered for the meeting had also demanded to promptly restore the statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said PM Modi and Amit Shah had promised in Parliament that J&K's statehood would be restored once the situation normalizes. However,National Conference chief and former CM Farooq Abdullah reportedly demanded that J&K's statehood should be restored before holding the assembly elections. 

4.   Article 370 & 35 A: Some leaders also raised the issues of restoring Article 370 and 35A that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir before August 5, 2019. However, sources said the matter was not discussed since it is pending before the Supreme Court.

Also Read: In Points: PM Modi to meet J&K leaders today, what to expect and why it’s crucial