J&K Assembly polls: BJP, PDP have time till January 1 to decide on government formation

Srinagar: PDP chief spokesman Nayeem Akhtar confirmed that party president Mehbooba Mufti has got a letter from the governor asking her to deliberate on the issue till January 1. State BJP chief Jugal Kishore also confirmed he had got a letter from the governor. “We have been asked to come by January 1,” he said.

Earlier, PDP patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed floated the suggestion of a “grand coalition” in the state, that would also include the Congress and the National Conference, so that all vital issues confronting the state’s three distant regions — Jammu, Ladakh and the Valley — could be addressed “more aptly and more efficiently”.

In another significant development, outgoing CM and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said his party had offered support to the PDP to form a government, but not given any written commitment. “Looks like PDP is playing mind games with the BJP (by) leaking about a letter of (NC) support that doesn’t exist,” Mr Abdullah wrote on Twitter. He added: “Only a verbal offer conveyed.”

Mufti’s “grand coalition” proposal, party sources said, is based on the fact that all 25 BJP MLAs have been elected from the Jammu region, whereas the PDP and Congress had done comparatively better in the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh respectively.

He has also proposed three regional councils for Ladakh, Kashmir Valley and Jammu, to run local routine and day-to-day administrative affairs, while the “grand coalition” government will deal with bigger issues affecting the state as a whole. It would also help to build a consensus on the fundamental issue of Kashmir, the sources said. The “grand coalition” and the regional councils, he reportedly argued, would also help towards defusing existing tensions and cementing ties between the three regions.

The Congress, which won 12 seats, has already offered to support the PDP in government formation, but the two together need four more MLAs to touch the magic figure of 44 in the 87-member Assembly.

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who is camping in Srinagar, had two rounds of talks with PDP vice-chief and Baramulla MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig. The first round was held at Mr Baig’s residence here and the second at a hotel in the city where Mr Madhav is staying. Mr Madhav had arrived here from Jammu on Thursday evening after attending a meeting of the BJP’s newly-elected MLAs with central observers Arun Jaitley and Arun Singh. He also met separately with leaders of other Kashmir Valley-based parties as part of the efforts to cobble up a BJP-led government in the state for the first time.

Mr Madhav confirmed that the BJP was in consultations with all important stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir, including the PDP, for providing a stable government. He asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a grand vision for the development of the state. “To realise this dream, we have to provide a government that will put the state on the development track,” he said, adding: “We are meeting all important stakeholders and our aim is to provide a stable and credible government.”

Mr Madhav added: “The PDP is an important stakeholder and has got a major mandate. Mufti Sahib has a five-decade-long political career and is respected not only in the state but across the country.” On the National Conference, he said it had also got a substantial number of seats and was part of the NDA during Atal Behari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister. Asked which of the two parties would the BJP prefer to ally with, he said it was not about the party but a choice of providing a stable and credible government.

BJP sources said senior J&K leader and PMO minister of state Jitendra Singh or party stalwart Nirmal Singh may be its choice as leader of the legislature party. While the former was elected to the Lok Sabha from Udhampur in the 2014 general election, the latter won the Assembly polls from Billawar segment of Kathua district.

PDP spokesman Samir Koul endorsed Mr Madhav’s line that the talks were still at an initial stage and it will take some time before any announcements could be made. “Talks are going on with the BJP over government formation in the state, but we it will take some time before we can make any announcements,” he said. Asked if the PDP would agree to a rotational chief ministership with the BJP, Mr Koul said: “Not at this moment.”

Earlier, Mr Abdullah sought to clarify that there was no discussion going on between his party and the BJP. He tweeted: “So many stories doing the rounds about a BJP-NC deal. Let me say this as strongly as possible — There is no deal, nor any discussion going on.” Reports claimed that while in New Delhi, Mr Abdullah had met BJP chief Amit Shah and senior leader Arun Jaitley for talks on government formation in J&K.

Back in Srinagar, several NC leaders and the rank and file, including some newly elected MLAs, were taken aback and some made no bones about being unhappy over this development. Many MLAs cautioned Mr Abdullah against cobbling up a government with the saffron party. On Friday, Mr Abdullah tweeted: “I hope someone from the PDP/BJP/Cong steps up & forms a government in J&K quickly. Denying stupid rumours is fast becoming a full time job.”