Srinagar, May 16 -- Shah arrived at a Srinagar hotel where he is scheduled to meet local BJP leaders ahead of the remaining two phases of elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

A local BJP leader said Shah's visit to Kashmir is not political.

"The Union home minister is coming to Kashmir but the visit is not political. Elections are underway. The voter turnout on May 13 is a huge success of the central government's policies, including the abrogation of Article 370," Sunil Sharma, the general secretary of the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit, told reporters earlier in the day.

"I think the home minister is coming to review the measures from a security point of view to increase the turnout and create an atmosphere of peace. There is no political ...