PDP considers alliance with National Conference, Congress
Srinagar: As suspense over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir continued, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday said the idea of a grand alliance with National Conference and Congress was an option for forming a stable government in the state.
“A grand alliance with PDP, National Conference and Congress as partners is also an option,” PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar said.
PDP has emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the 87-member Assembly followed closely by BJP with 25 seats while NC bagged 15. While Congress won 12 seats, smaller parties and independents got seven seats.
No political party has been able to yet muster the support of 44 MLAs required to form the government in the state.
Congress, NC and several independents have offered support to the PDP for government formation.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti will meet Jammu and Kasmir Kashmir Governor NN Vohra on December 31 to discuss the government formation, Raj Bhavan said in a statement.
“The meeting of Mehbooba Mufti, Member of Parliament and President of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with the Governor has been preponed to take place on Wednesday at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu,” an official spokesman said today.
Vohra had on Friday invited Mehbooba and BJP state unit president Jugal Kishore Sharma for separate meetings to hold discussion on formation of government in the state.
PDP had set tough conditions for BJP which is wooing it for the formation of the new government in Jammu and Kashmir, declaring that its stand against revocation of Art 370 was “non-negotiable”.
Indicating that PDP, with the highest tally of 28 followed by BJP with 25, may find it hard to do business with the saffron party, it also said it remained committed to the revocation of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). That is unlikely to be acceptable to BJP.
With Governor N N Vohra setting a deadline of January 1 for PDP and BJP to come up with proposals for government formation, behind-the-scenes contacts among the principal players including the National Conference (NC) and the Congress intensified.
For the record, PDP said that “all options are open and that no decision has been taken yet” but there were reports it was facing stiff opposition from a substantial chunk of its newly-elected MLAs to any tie up with BJP.
PDP’s alternative option is to accept the support of the Congress party which has 12 MLAs and the NC, which has 15 in the 87-member Assembly. It is in touch with both the parties as it wrestles with the dilemma of joining hands with the BJP.
There was speculation in political circles that if it is not able to reach an agreement with PDP, BJP may present the Governor with a list of 30 MLAs by January one to show that it had two more than PDP, raising the remote possibility of it being invited first to take a shot at ministry formation.
National Conference working president Omar Abdullah had yesterday said that his party had only conveyed a “verbal offer” to the PDP through an intermediary.
The PDP leadership is caught in a ‘catch 22’ situation with some influential leaders within the party strongly opposing an alliance with the BJP on the grounds that such a partnership can reverse the gains made by the party during recent times.
A senior PDP leader, on the condition of anonymity, said an alliance with the BJP would be “suicidal” for the regional party.
“While good governance and development is a universal yearning among the people, people in a sensitive place like Kashmir also keenly watch the friends you keep. One of the reasons for decline of National Conference was its hob-nobbing with whichever party was in power at the Centre,” he said.
National Conference, which has 15 seats and can play a key role in government formation, withdrew from the race following open expression of dissent by some senior party leaders after reports suggested that the regional party had entered into parleys with BJP.
The results for the state assembly elections on December 23 threw up a hung verdict with no party getting clear majority.
Congress, with 12 MLAs, is neither in a position to form the government or help PDP or National Conference to cross the 44 seat mark in the 87-member state assembly.
Congress spokesman Salman Nizami HAD yesterday said the party was in touch with PDP and six other Independents to prevent BJP from coming to power in the state.
