Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 27: NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind along with top brass of the BJP will tomorrow meet Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Ministers and legislators of PDP, BJP, People’s Conference and associates in Srinagar to garner support for his candidature for the post of President’s election, which is scheduled to be held on July 17. Though Opposition, National Conference has pledged support to Congress candidate Meira Kumar for the post of President, Kovind is likely to make an appeal to them for support.
Kovind has clear edge not only in the country but also in Jammu and Kashmir, where BJP, PDP and People’s Conference together accounted for 56 MLAs out of a total of 87 and seven Members of Parliament out of a total of 10. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and MLAs in the country comprised Electoral College for the election of President.
Kovind will be accompanied by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, BJP general secretary, Incharge Jammu and Kashmir, Ram Madhav and Shama Prasad Shukla, Member Parliament and Observer for President’s election.
Sources said the NDA’s Presidential nominee, who has support of various regional parties like AIADMK of Tamil Nadu, Telangana Rashtriya Samiti of Telengana , Janata Dal-U of Bihar, Biju Janata Dal of Orissa etc, would have luncheon meeting with Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti at her residence in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State at 1.30 pm.
The senior leaders of PDP, BJP and People’s Conference, who are partners in the State Government, would be present at the meeting to pledge the support of their parties to Kovind, sources said, adding that the Chief Minister would host lunch for the Presidential nominee and senior BJP Ministers and leaders accompanying him.
The Chief Minister would introduce Kovind to her senior Cabinet colleagues, party leaders and legislators.
Sources said before returning to New Delhi around 4 pm, Kovind was also likely to make an appeal to the Opposition National Conference, which has 15 MLAs and one Lok Sabha member, to support his candidature.
However, sources said, National Conference has already expressed its commitment to the candidature of Congress leader Meira Kumar, who is Opposition’s candidate against Kovind. NC, Congress and CPM, who together accounted for 28 MLAs, would support Meira Kumar.
Sources indicated that the BJP Ministers and senior leaders accompanying the Presidential nominee could utilize the occasion to urge Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to issue an Ordinance and implement the GST from July 1 at par with the country. An uncertainty has been looming large over the State on implementation of the GST, whose deadline is approaching fast.
The GST will be rolled out at an impressive function in Parliament on the mid-night of June 30 and July 1 countrywide.
BJP has 25 MLAs of its own while its ally People’s Conference of Sajjad Lone has two. Independent MLA from Zanskar Bakir Rizvi is also a BJP supporter. This takes BJP’s tally to 28. PDP also has 28 MLAs.
On the other, NC has 15 MLAs, Congress 12 and CPM one, totaling 28. Three others are Independent MLAs including Hakim Mohammad Yasin, Engineer Rashid and Pawan Gupta.
Apart from MLAs, BJP has highest number of four Members of Parliament in J&K including three Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha MPs, followed by three of PDP, two Rajya Sabha and one Lok Sabha while National Conference has one member of Lok Sabha and Congress one Rajya Sabha. Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in Kashmir is vacant.
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