JAMMU: Former Jammu and Kashmir Minister and a founding member of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, officially joined the BJP on Sunday at the party headquarters in Jammu. This move comes shortly after the election commission announced the upcoming assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled to begin on September 18. Zulfkar was welcomed into the BJP by Union Minister and the party's Jammu and Kashmir assembly election in-charge, G. Kishan Reddy, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina, and Union Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh. Before joining the BJP, Zulfkar had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. In his statement, Zulfkar expressed that his decision to join the BJP was driven by the desire to work for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes community and to bring progress to the Rajouri-Poonch region. Reflecting on the past, Zulfkar mentioned the challenges faced by his community and the necessity to align with the National Conference while they were part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Zulfkar previously served as a cabinet minister in Jammu and Kashmir from 2015 to 2018, overseeing departments such as food and civil supplies and tribal affairs.