A padayatra in Kishtwar under the banner Loktatantra Bachao, Arajkta Hatao ('Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy') drew participation from youth, women, and residents across social groups on Sunday, November 1, 2026 — and Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh took to X to frame the turnout as a public endorsement of the Modi government's development agenda over what he described as opposition-led chaos.

In the post, Dr. Singh wrote that the heavy participation of youth, women, and all sections of society in the Kishtwar march was proof that 'the public, rejecting the opposition's anarchy and propaganda, is enthusiastically joining the Modi government's journey of development.' He specifically named Leader of Opposition and MLA Sunil Sharma, Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar, BJP District President Ravi Kumar Parihar, and senior leader Tariq Keen as present at the event.

Kishtwar as a BJP Political Battleground

Kishtwar district, located in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, has been a focal point for BJP outreach since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the subsequent reorganisation of the erstwhile state into a Union Territory. The direct administrative link to New Delhi that followed opened the door for central government schemes to be implemented without the earlier legislative filter — and the BJP has consistently used that shift as a centrepiece of its political narrative in the Jammu region.

Grassroots marches and padayatras — foot-march public outreach events — have become a recurring BJP tool in Jammu and Kashmir to project ground-level support, particularly in districts like Kishtwar where the party maintains an active organisational presence. The dual framing of the hashtag — save democracy on one hand, remove anarchy on the other — signals that the event was designed as much as a counter-message to the opposition as it was a show of strength.

A Star-Studded Local Lineup Sends a Signal

The presence of Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma at the padayatra is notable: his participation alongside Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar, district chief Ravi Kumar Parihar, and senior leader Tariq Keen suggests the event was coordinated at multiple levels of the party hierarchy in Jammu and Kashmir — not a routine local rally but a structured political mobilisation. Dr. Singh's post amplifying the event from the national ministerial level adds another layer of visibility to what the BJP is framing as broad-based public consent.

Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir have not publicly responded to the specific Kishtwar march as of this report. How rival political formations engage with the BJP's sustained ground campaign in the Jammu division will be one of the cleaner indicators of how the political terrain in the UT is evolving ahead of any future electoral or local-body cycles.

A minister, a march, and a message — the BJP's Kishtwar playbook is running at full volume, and the national leadership is making sure the country hears it.