BJP to send Jaitley to JK; Keeps all options open

Keeping "all options" open, BJP today decided to depute a two-member team led by senior leader Arun Jaitley to hold talks with the party's newly-elected MlAs in Jammu and Kashmir on possibility of forming government besides supervising election of their leader in the Assembly.

The decision was taken by BJP's Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body of the the party, which met here and discussed the election results in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Jharkhand. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah and other senior leaders.

Jaitley and party national secretary Arun Singh, who will go as Observers, will hold a meeting of the BJP legislature Party that will elect its leader in Jammu and Kashmir, Health Minister and party general secretary J P Nadda told reporters.

The Board also decided to send Nadda and party vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe to Jharkhand to observe the election of the party's legislature Party leader there.

He did not indicate the timeline for holding such meetings, which will be held in consultation with state party leaders. Party sources, however, said the central observers will travel to the respective states in three-four days and the next governments will be in place before year-end.

"The BJP Parliamentary Board today discussed the election results in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand and expressed a great sense of satisfaction," Nadda said.

Asked about Jammu and 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.

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 and 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 Board felt that it is clear from the results that the people of Jharkhand and Jammu and 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.

The Parliamentary Board meeting started on a sombre note by observing a two-minute silence in memory of those killed in terror attacks in Assam. The meeting expressed deep sense of shock and concern over the loss of innocent lives.

The Board also thanked the government for according the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna to noted personalities Madan Mohan Malviya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying it has fulfilled the desires of crores of people in the country.

The Board meeting was chaired by BJP President Amit Shah and the Prime Minister was present, besides all other members of the Board including Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Venkaiah Naidu, besides Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other party leaders were also present.

The Prime Minister also launched a policy document on a comparative study between good governance and delivery by various governments in the past.