SRINAGAR, April 20 -- Kashmir has always been an issue in India's national elections but this time it has acquired a resonance unlike anytime in the past. With the BJP making national security its central poll plank following the Pulwama attack which killed 40 CRPF personnel and triggered skirmishes with Pakistan, the issues related to the state have moved to the centre-stage.

The ruling party has aggressively brought up the situation in the state to drum up public support. From the prime minister Narendra Modi on down to home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley to Amit Shah himself, the BJP has been unrelenting on Kashmir in its campaign rhetoric.

Not only that, unlike the Congress and the other opposition parties, th...