JAMMU: Former Jammu and Kashmir minister and founding member of J&K Apni Party, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, officially joined the BJP on Sunday at the party's headquarters in Jammu. This move came shortly after the election commission announced the assembly polls in J&K, scheduled to begin on September 18. Zulfkar Ali's induction into the BJP was officiated by Union Minister and BJP's J&K assembly election coordinator 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 this, Zulfkar Ali had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi the day before. Explaining his decision to join the BJP, Zulfkar Ali stated that it was for the benefit of the Scheduled Tribes community and the development of the Rajouri-Poonch area. He expressed that he had previously been part of the J&K government but felt pressured and fearful, leading him to align with the National Conference for survival. Zulfkar Ali had served as a cabinet minister in J&K from 2015 to 2018, overseeing departments such as food and civil supplies and tribal affairs.