The time is not far when assembly polls will be held in Jammu & Kashmir and its statehood will be restored, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, daring the Opposition to restore Article 370 and saying he had not only abrogated the provision that bestowed special status to the region but also buried it deep in the ground.

Addressing his first election rally in Jammu & Kashmir, Modi also underlined how the region was advancing after the Article 370 move, and blamed Opposition parties for holding it back for years.

“The time is not far when assembly polls will be held in Jammu & Kashmir, which will also get its statehood back. You will again raise your issues with your legislators and ministers,” Modi told a rally in Udhampur, seeking support for Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma.