Govt. formation may not be easy in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister expressed hope that his party, the National Conference, will put up a credible show

A day before the results of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, a tense number game hangs over the State.

With the BJP trying to lay claim on a chunk of seats and a hung verdict being predicted by exit polls, the option of a coalition government does not seem as easy as it was after the previous two elections.

While the National Conference, which seems to be at its weakest in decades, has narrowed its options of forming the next government by ruling out any alliance with the BJP and the People’s Democratic Party, leaving the Congress as the only possible choice, the exit polls have predicted that the NC and the Congress together will not have the numbers to form the government.

“ We have maintained that it would have been a good gesture on part of UPA to confer Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee. I have deep regards for Vajpayee ”

“I don’t believe the opinion or exit polls but let’s assume for a moment that these polls are correct, how does the National Conference and the Congress coming together make any difference,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked at a press conference on Monday. He closed the door on any coalition with the BJP, citing the party’s communal politics and its stand on Article 370 as the reasons.

“Though they (BJP) have gone silent on Article 370, they have not disassociated themselves from it completely. They have not disassociated themselves from the Babri Masjid issue and the Common Civil Code issue. Till now, you have a Prime Minister who is silent on the issue of forced conversions,” Mr. Abdullah said.

The PDP, which is contesting its third Assembly election in the State, has emerged as a major alternative to the NC, though experts predict that it will fall short of the numbers to form a government by itself.

“We are confident that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have made a wise choice and elected us without our having to seek allies. I would not even enter the realm of speculation about which party we would entertain as an ally because we are sure we won’t need anyone,” Nayeem Akhter, the party's chief spokesperson, told The Hindu.