Jammu and Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra, on Friday officially wrote to the PDP and BJP, the parties with the largest number of MLAs following the recent Assembly elections, on their plans for government formation.
“Governor sahib sent separate letters to the state presidents both PDP and BJP since they have emerged as the two largest parties in the elections,” the Principal Secretary to the Governor said. “They have been asked to come and discuss their plans.”
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The Governor has invited PDP president Mehbooba Mufti to meet him on the morning of January 1 and BJP State president Jugal Kishore the same afternoon, said PTI.
The communiqué from the Governor is the first step toward the formation of the new government following the fractured verdict on December 23. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had submitted his resignation to the Governor a day after the results were announced though he continues to be in-charge till new arrangements are made.
Amid all talks and backchannel negotiations between the political players, government formation this time is fraught with challenges as all possible alliances come with riders; while some coalitions would result in an unrepresentative and weak government, other formations threaten the future of the political parties. The single largest party, the PDP, seems to have been gifted a crown of thorns and is seeking time to arrive at a decision.
Meanwhile, the NC reiterated its offer of unconditional support to its arch-rival PDP, and remained hopeful that the two could form a government.
“As a responsible political party to ensure a stable government and a smooth transition in government, we have offered unconditional support to the PDP since it is the single largest party,” Devender Rana, NC's Provincial President, Jammu and successful legislator from Nagrota told The Hindu
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