JAMMU: Former Jammu & Kashmir minister and founding member of the J&K Apni Party, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, recently joined the BJP at the party headquarters in Jammu. This move comes shortly after the election commission announced assembly polls in J&K, commencing on September 18. Zulfkar was welcomed into the BJP by Union Minister and BJP’s J&K assembly election in-charge G Kishan Reddy, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, J&K BJP President Ravinder Raina, and Union Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh. Prior to joining the BJP, Zulfkar had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Zulfkar expressed that his decision to join the BJP was driven by the desire to work for the welfare of the ST community and promote progress in the Rajouri-Poonch region. Reflecting on his past experiences, Zulfkar mentioned that while being part of the J&K government, there was a constant sense of fear and pressure, leading to a need to align with the National Conference. Zulfkar served as a cabinet minister in J&K from 2015 to 2018, overseeing key departments such as food and civil supplies and tribal affairs.