39 panchayat members, 10 others join BJP in Jammu

As many as 49 prominent people, including 34 panch and five sarpanch, from Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district joined the BJP here on Monday, a party spokesman said The new entrants, who were previously affiliated to the National Conference, the PDP and the Congress, were welcomed into the party fold by senior leaders led by former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta at the party headquarters, he said.

Mir Mohammad, former block president of the National Conference, was among those who joined the BJP, the spokesperson said, adding that the new entrants belonged to Mendhar, Gholak and Balakot areas of Poonch Gupta, on the occasion, took a dig at the National Conference, the Congress and the PDP, saying these parties did nothing to empower the grassroots level.

"These parties always tried their best to deprive the far-flung areas from development and modernisation," he said.