Shivraj expresses confidence, says BJP will form govt in J&K, Haryana

Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday expressed confidence that the BJP will form a government in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Haryana after the assembly elections.

He also said that although elections have not been declared in Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party's ongoing 'Parivartan Yatra' in that state is getting a good response.

"I have been to Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana amid the assembly polls. I am totally confident that the BJP is going to form governments there. The atmosphere in Haryana is very good and we are going to form a government there as well," Chouhan told reporters at his residence here.

"Though elections are not declared in Jharkhand, we are working there and the party's 'Parivartan Yatra' is getting a huge response in that state," the Union Agriculture Minister said before leaving for Jharkhand from Bhopal.

The three-phase elections to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly were held on September 18 and 25 and on October 1, while the assembly polls in Haryana will be held on October 5. Results of the elections at both these places will be declared on October 8.

When asked about the assembly bypoll from Budhni constituency in Madhya Pradesh, which is likely to be held soon as Chouhan had resigned from this seat after winning the Lok Sabha polls from Vidisha, he said that BJP will emerge victorious. Talking about the Union cabinet's decisions related to agriculture, he said, "In the last 120 days, the government dedicated to farmers has taken many decisions in the interest of farmers under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

"For farmers to get good prices, one of the decisions that has been taken had a huge impact on our oilseed production," Chouhan said. The government on Thursday approved the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oilseeds with an outlay of Rs 10,103 crore to boost domestic production and make India self-sufficient in cooking oils. India imports more than 50 per cent of its annual edible oil requirement, he said.

PM Modi will transfer the 18th instalment of 'PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana' into the accounts of farmers from Washim in Maharashtra on Saturday, he said, adding that a total of more than Rs 20,000 crore will be transferred to about 9.4 crore beneficiary farmers across the country.