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J&K Governor dissolves state assembly hours after PDP Chief staked claim to form government

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The talks were going on between the three parties to cobble an alliance that would keep the BJP out of power in J&K.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was dissolved by Governor Satya Pal Malik hours after PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti staked claim to form a government in the state with support from Congress and National Conference late Wednesday night.

He also made it clear that the three parties are coming together to save the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

With this, the curtains were abruptly brought down on the tenure of the state assembly.

Now the stage will be set for holding fresh Assembly polls in the state, possibly alongside Lok Sabha polls.

The day-long game of ‘musical chairs’ started with a press briefing by PDP MLA Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar.

He addressed media after holding a closed-door meeting with former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

He first broke the news to the world that leaders of three mainstream political parties Congress, PDP and National Conference have decided to form a government in the state.

He also made it clear that the three parties are coming together to save the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

This triggered a chain reaction.

Peoples Conference Chairman, Sajjad Lone, who was already camping in New Delhi to hold parleys with BJP high command over government formation also staked claim to form a government in the state with support from BJP.

By late evening as more political developments started taking place, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti circulated a letter, addressed to Governor SP Malik, staking claim to form a government in the state with support from Congress and National Conference.

Mufti, in her letter to the Governor, said that with a strength of 29 MLAs of its own, the PDP would have a collective strength of 56 MLAs including 15 of National Conference and 12 of the Congress.

“Since I’m presently in Srinagar, it would not be possible to call on you immediately and this is to keep you informed that we would be seeking your convenience shortly to stake the claim for forming the government in the state,” Mehbooba wrote to the Governor.

This was immediately countered by Lone, who also wrote to the Governor staking claim to form the government with BJP’s backing. He claimed the support of 18 MLAs besides the 25-strong BJP, contending that it was more than the required number for a majority.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said no one from the Congress or even National Conference and PDP was willing to become Chief Minister.

As political drama was enfolding Mehbooba Mufti came out with another tweet claiming the Raj Bhavan in the winter capital Jammu strangely had not received her letter that was faxed. She said she was trying to contact the Governor over the telephone.

Sometime later Governor’s house circulated a press statement announcing the dissolution of the state assembly.

Earlier, the reports of a possible government formation by the PDP and the Congress with NC’s external support got some credence with senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad confirming to some reporters that talks were going on between the three parties to cobble an alliance that would keep the BJP out of power in the state.

Azad, however, made a sudden U-turn after the assembly was dissolved by the state Governor. He told reporters in Jaipur that the Congress party had not decided to form a government with Mehbooba Mufti. He said no one from the Congress or even National Conference and PDP was willing to become Chief Minister. We had convened a meeting of state party leaders in New Delhi to hold discussions over the current political situation.

National Conference leader and former speaker Mohd Akbar Lone also made a categoric statement in Srinagar that National Conference had not given their word to PDP to join the government in the state. He said PDP Chief took this step to earn some respectability and save her party’s image.

Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

View Comments

  • Good decision courageously taken up by the Governor.
    NC,Cong-I and PDP crooked family oriented business parties IN j&k got exposed their stand on 35A and 370!!

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