J&K governor invites BJP, PDP for talks on government formation
BJP made no definitive announcement and the PDP remained silent on the news of invite for discussions from Narinder Nath Vohra
New Delhi: The process of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir gained momentum on Friday with governor Narinder Nath Vohra inviting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for discussions with him.
The BJP, which won 25 seats in the recent state elections, just three behind the PDP, is likely to be part of any possible combination that emerges to stake a bid for governing the sensitive state.
Vohra has sent letters separately to PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and state BJP chief Jugal Kishore “for holding discussions on the proposal for government formation," a news report by the Press Trust of India said, citing a government official it didn’t name.
The BJP made no definitive announcement and the PDP remained silent. Both the Congress and the National Conference (NC) have offered support to the PDP to form the government.
The governor’s intervention could be a bid to break a stalemate and speed up the process towards government formation, and the BJP is likely to be a part of any potential combination, said experts.
“I think both the parties (BJP and PDP) are hesitant right now. It is difficult for any party to take an initiative on its own. It seems that the BJP has to be in power; if it is not, then the government would not factor in Jammu’s mandate," said Rekha Chowdhary, a Jammu-based political analyst.
The BJP won all its seats from the Jammu region.
“While one cannot say what is the reason behind the governor calling both the parties for discussion, it could be because none of the two parties are coming forward to stake the claim and action needs to be taken to end the stalemate," she added.
The PDP emerged as the largest party in the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly, ahead of the BJP, followed by the National Conference (15) and the Congress (12).
The BJP remained at the centre of political developments in the state on Friday. Party general secretary Ram Madhav was in Srinagar and held a series of meetings with leaders of political parties based in the Kashmir Valley, including PDP’s Muzaffar Hussain Baig.
“We are meeting with all important stakeholders and our aim is to provide a stable and credible government," he told reporters.
The former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who has offered to support the PDP, wrote on microblogging website Twitter: “Looks like PDP is playing mind games with the BJP leaking about a letter of NC support that doesn’t exist. Only a verbal offer (was) conveyed."
The Congress party on Friday said that the BJP should not use “arm-twisting" tactics to “bulldoze" its way to form a government.
“The way BJP is bulldozing regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir...that’s just being insensitive towards the mandate and people of the state," senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters in New Delhi.
PTI contributed to this story.
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