Ahead of the counting day, the leaders from different political parties appeared jittery as they anticipated the hung verdict may further delay the process of stable government formation in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
National Conference Vice-President Omar Abdullah on Monday alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would like nothing more than to extend central rule if they are not in a position to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NC leader was reacting to the statement made by the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) Chief Abdul Rashid Sheikh who during a press conference during the day had said whoever will get the majority should not form the government until the statehood is restored in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The man goes to Delhi for 24 hours and comes back to play straight into the hands of the BJP,” Omar posted on X (formerly twitter).
Rashid during the press conference also revealed that he had been to Delhi for two days.
“The BJP would like nothing more than to extend central rule in J&K if they aren’t in a position to form a government,” Omar said.
However, the mood in the Bharatiya Janta Party camp was upbeat despite adverse projections by the different exit polls.
J&K BJP Assembly election in-charge Ram Madhav Monday took stock of the ground situation before addressing a meeting of the Election Management committee here at the party headquarters.
In his brief address, Ram Madhav conveyed his gratitude to the party workers who worked hard during the month-long campaign to realize the dream of forming a BJP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina also asserted his position claiming that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party in the region by securing 35 seats and will form Government with the help of like-minded and independent candidates.
He also said that the nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor is being carried out as per the Reorganisation Act.
“We are confident of winning 35 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and with the support of independents and like-minded groups, who will secure around 15 seats, we will cross the majority mark of 50 to form the Government,” Raina told reporters here.
“The people have voted for us, endorsing our vision for development and peace”, he said.
On the other hand, PDP leader Iltija Mufti Monday said giving power to the Lieutenant Governor to nominate five members to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly was a “brazen pre-result rigging” of the polls.
“All of the five MLAs nominated by LG are BJP members or associated with the party. Brazen pre result rigging & shameful manipulation,” Iltija Mufti posted on X.
She said it seems no lessons were learned from the rigging of 1987 elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra also termed the power to nominate five members in the new Assembly by the Lieutenant Governor as “unconstitutional” and “undemocratic.”
Karra said, “If the Centre has implemented and given powers to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir to nominate five members for the new Assembly, it is in my view unconstitutional and undemocratic.”
“How could it happen where a President of India could not have the arbitrary powers and a Lieutenant Governor would be given such powers,” Karra questioned.
In Srinagar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said his party was open to the idea of taking support of Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP to form a government in the Union territory.
He also flayed the move to give powers to the Lieutenant Governor for nominating members to the five reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, and said his party would approach the Supreme Court if the BJP-led Centre went ahead with it.
Abdullah, while ruling himself out of the race for chief minister’s post, said statehood should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir so that the new government has powers to address the people’s problems.
The NC president said he was not averse to taking support of the independents as well but he would not go begging for it.
“I will not go to beg before them. If they feel they can strengthen the state, most welcome. It should be their initiative. They should want to do good for the people,” he added.
