Jammu, Nov 16 (PTI) Over fifty political and social activists including former sarpanches on Monday joined the BJP ahead of the District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir, a BJP spokesman said.

Prominent political and social activists belonging to Gujjar and Bakkarwal communities along with their supporters joined the BJP in the presence of state unit president Ravinder Raina at the party headquarters here, he said.

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Besides Raina, MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, BJP general secretary and former minister Devinder Kumar Manyal and Prabhari of Kissan Morcha Nand Kishore were present on the occasion, the spokesman said.

Raina, while welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, said they have always remained “hardcore patriots and never betrayed the nationalist sentiments”.

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Today people from every community appreciate the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, he said.

Sharma, who is MP from Jammu, said the entry of the prominent people will strengthen the party in the region.

DDC polls will be held in phases beginning November 28 and ending December 24.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)