Srinagar:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Leh this morning and will soon head to Kargil. He is the first prime minister to visit the high-altitude town since the Kargil war of 1999. This is the PM's second visit to Jammu and Kashmir since he took over as Prime Minister in May. Elections are due in the state later this year.
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In Leh on stage at the Polo ground to inaugurate the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar transmission system, Mr Modi wore the traditional Ladakhi dress, 'goncha', and cap. He also addressed Army officers and jawans who guard the border at a very high altitude, including the world's highest battlefield in the Siachen glacier. Temperatures in the Ladakh region dip to minus 30 to 40 degrees in peak winter.
The Prime Minister will then fly to Kargil town where he will hold a public rally and inaugurate the 44 MW Chutak Power station. He will also lay the foundation stone for a 349-km power transmission line linking Leh-Kargil-Srinagar. The line, to be built at an altitude of over 10,000 feet in snowy terrain, is expected to ease the power crunch in the Leh-Kargil region.
In both places he is expected to talk about longstanding demands of locals, like employment generation and an assurance that he will take up with China the issue of opening the Mansarovar road from Leh and with Pakistan, the re-opening of the Kargil-Skardu road.
Chief Executive Councilor of Ladakh Hill Development Council Rigzin Spalbar said the people of Ladakh had high expectations from the Prime Minister's visit. "I hope the BJP lives up to its promise of granting Union Territory status to the region," he said.
Mr Modi's second visit in 38 days to J&K is seen as a thanksgiving to the people of Ladakh for voting the BJP's candidate to victory. The BJP won the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat for the first time this year, when its candidate Thupstan Chhewang beat his nearest competitor by a slender margin of 36 votes.
After winning three of J&K's six Lok Sabha seats, its best performance in the state ever, the BJP is now aiming for what it calls its "Mission 44+" in the state elections. The J&K assembly has 87 seats and 44 is the half-way mark for a majority to form government.
The BJP's best performance in the state elections so far has been 11. The party credits its significant gains in the general elections to what it calls the "Modi wave." It hopes to pick up at least two of the four assembly seats from Ladakh in this year's state elections.
Leh is awash in the BJP's colours today as the town preps to welcome the Prime Minister. There are big hoardings in many paces and flags with the BJP's lotus symbol are prominent at traffic intersections.
New Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag arrived in Leh on Monday to firm up arrangements for the VVIP visit. There is heavy security, with jawans of the ITBP being pressed into service for securing all venues.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He will be received at the Leh airport by J&K Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
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