SRINAGAR : The Bharatiya Janata Party has softened its stand on Chief Minister’s post for the saffron party in any coalition in Jammu and Kashmir with just two weeks left to end the deadline for government formation before the Governor’s rule is imposed in the state.
The situation has not changed even a bit after the December 23 when results were declared in all the 87 assembly constituencies in the state, where no party could reach the magic figure of 44 to form the government, Peoples Democratic Party chief spokesperson Nayeem Akhtar told UNI. The PDP has emerged as single largest party with 28 seats, majority of them from Kashmir, while BJP got 25 seats, all from Jammu as the saffron party drew a blank in Kashmir and Ladakh region.
The National Conference which faced a rout in Srinagar, winning just two seats from 8 constituencies, has 15 seats followed by Congress 12, Peoples Conference (PC) headed by separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajjad Gani Lone two, Communist Party of India (M) and Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) one each and Independents three.
The BJP which is making all out efforts to occupy the treasury benches in the 12th House, has said it was open to any option to join the government with ‘Father-Son (Dr Abdullah and Omar Abdullah) or ‘Father-Daughter’ (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti). Congress has already ruled out any alliance with BJP.
BJP which has declared that the Chief Minister will be from the saffron party, that too from Jammu region, as the party got highest vote percentage of 32 per cent, has now said that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh is a single state and Chief Minister can be from any region.
The change in the BJP stand, which also sought three years term
to head the government in case of coalition government, came after there were no takers from PDP, Congress and now NC, which has also ruled out any alliance with the saffron party. The PC has already extended support to BJP, as the party did not field any candidate against Mr Lone after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly before polls. However, the claim by BJP national president Amit Shah that saffron party was in touch with both regional parties-PDP and NC- again have a new debate in the Valley, where both these parties were accusing each other to have secret undertaking with BJP.
On the other hand, BJP, with a mission 44 plus, has sought the vote to liberate the state from ‘Father-son’ and ‘Father-daughter’
duos for overall development of the state. The NC was part of the NDA during Atal Behari Vajpayee regime when Omar Abdullah was a junior minister and NC’s autonomy proposal was rejected by the Centre. The autonomy resolution was passed by both the Houses unanimously before sending it to Delhi when Dr Abdullah was Chief Minister of the state following two-third majority in 1996 elections.
(AGENCIES)
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