Srinagar: Padma Shri Awardee Ghulam Mohammad Mir joined the BJP on Wednesday, a party statement said.

They said the joining of Mir had provided a significant boost to the party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The joining took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, in the presence of BJP District President Budgam, Hakim Ruhullah Ghazi.

Ghulam Mohammad Mir aka Moma Kana, was conferred India’s fourth highest civilian award—Padma Shri—in 2010 for working for the forces in the 1990s when nobody dared to go against militants.

The BJP has termed the joining of Mir a noteworthy development.

“The party gained momentum with the addition of Padma Shri Awardee Ghulam Ahmad Mir. Over the past month, thousands have joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Kashmir region,” the party statement said.

District President Budgam Ghazi expressed his satisfaction with the increasing support and welcomed Mir to the party.

He attributed the surge in new members to the people’s contentment with the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi.