PM Narendra Modi is meeting with political leaders of Jammu & Kashmir in his first such outreach after the scrapping of special status under Article 370 in 2019. The meeting is aimed at setting on course the political process in J&K, which has been under President's Rule since 2018 when the ruling coalition collapsed after the BJP snapped ties with then CM Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP). J&K parties are expected to be sounded out on delimitation or redrawing of constituencies as the first step towards assembly polls after J&K was bifurcated into two Union Territories. The government says while restoration of statehood will be considered at an appropriate time, that time has not come yet, reported NDTV. Fourteen leaders from eight political parties, including Mufti's PDP and the National Conference, have been invited. The Gupkar Alliance of Mufti and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, a seven-party conglomeration formed to push for restoration of statehood and special status, had decided to join the meet to press for full statehood. "I am going to the meeting. I will keep the demands there and then I will talk to you," Farooq Abdullah told reporters before the meeting. Watch the video to know more.
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