JOIN USJ&K comes under Governor's rule
After receiving concurrence from President of India Pranab Mukherjee, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Saturday issued a proclamation to impose Governor’s rule in the state.
The Raj Bhavan spokesperson said consequent to the sudden demise of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Thursday, the process to form government had commenced and intimations were still awaited about the respective positions of the PDP and BJP, the two alliance partners in government.
With PDP president Mehbooba Mufti not willing to take oath as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir immediately after her father’s death, uncertainty loomed large over the government formation in the state, paving the way for the Governor’s rule, which was imposed under Section 92 (1) of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, sources told Deccan Herald that the oath-taking ceremony of the new chief minister was unlikely to be held even in the next week. On the face of it, the PDP leadership has said Mehbooba is yet to overcome the grief caused by Sayeed’s death.
But party sources said hectic deliberations are underway within the party on whether to continue its alliance with the BJP.
Last year, the PDP had taken more than two months to form an alliance with the saffron party. However, according to party sources, its leadership is weighing up its options as in the last 10 months, the popularity graph of the PDP has gone down in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, its voter base.
A senior PDP leader wishing anonymity told Deccan Herald that resentment among the people of Kashmir against the party is visible. “Not more than a few thousand people participated in the funeral prayers of Mufti sahib, which has forced the party leadership to review its decision on alliance with the BJP,” he said.
Asked whether it means the PDP will end its alliance with the BJP, he, however, didn’t agree. “We want to renegotiate the terms of alliance with the saffron party,” the leader said.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Paul Sharma said there is no hurry on this issue.
“We respect the right of the bereaved family of Mufti Sahib to mourn his death. There are certainly no conditions from our side and there was no meeting of our leaders on government formation,” he said.
Congress in hunt
Meanwhile, the Congress leadership was in touch with the PDP to build pressure on the BJP. Former CM and currently the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has been camping in Srinagar right from the day Mufti passed away. “Azad is trying to persuade PDP leadership through backdoor channels to part ways with the BJP,” sources said.