Ready to explore the possibility of forming a coalition Government in Jammu & Kashmir, the BJP on Wednesday decided to depute a two-member team, led by senior leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, to hold talks with the party’s newly-elected MlAs in the State to discuss the political situation besides supervising election of their leader in the Assembly.
Sources said among several options, the BJP may also explore the possibility of seeking help of the National Conference and Independents. Citing “the overwhelming” mandate in Jammu and “largest percentage of votes polled” in the State, party leaders asserted that the BJP would play a central role in Government formation.
Even though the NC was rejected in the poll (17 seats), it could effectively contain PDP’s march (in Kashmir Valley) to reach the magic number (44 seats), making way for the BJP to play a central role in Government formation.
With no party getting a clear majority in Jammu & Kashmir, the State is set to get a coalition Government in which the BJP (25) and PDP (28) will be main players.
Sources in the BJP, however, said that a section within the party was not ready to do business with the PDP and backed a tie-up with the NC to ensure that the BJP got its own Chief Minister. In Srinagar, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who submitted his resignation to Governor NN Vohra, maintained that the onus of Government formation lies primarily on the BJP and the PDP.
The BJP’s Parliamentary Board, which met here in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to sent party leaders Arun Jaitley and party national secretary Arun Singh to hold talks with the newly-elected MlAs in Jammu & Kashmir and work out a way forward for a viable Government in the border State.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda told the media that the Board decided to send himself (Nadda) and party vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe to Jharkhand to observe the election of the party’s legislature Party leader there.
Though no time-line is set for the election of new leaders of legislature party in Jharkhand and J&K, it is indicated that they would wrap up the process in three-four days with new Governments in saddle before the December end.
Asked about Jammu & Kashmir where the Assembly polls have thrown up a fractured mandate, he said the party was "open" for "all options".
Consultations will be held with other parties towards Government formation, he said while indicating that the BJP is keen to be in Government. In the 87-member House, PDP bagged 28 seats, BJP got 25 seats, National Conference 17 and Congress 12 and others five.
"Any coalition of parties will need to have at least 44 seats to be able to form the Government. The highest vote share that the party got in Jammu & Kashmir shows that the people of the State have backed the agenda of development and the 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Nadda said.
He said the Parliamentary Board felt that it is clear from the results that the people of Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir have put their stamp on the agenda of good governance and development. "We will go and hold a meeting of legislature Party and elect a leader there," he said about Jharkhand, adding that it is only thereafter that the party will stake claim for government formation.
In the meeting, the Prime Minister also launched a policy document on a comparative study between good governance and delivery by various governments in the past.