After initiating talks on Thursday with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP reverted to saying that ``all its options are open’’ indicating that it wants to keep its channels open with the Peoples Democratic Front as well. In fact, the party attempted to play down the communication with Mr. Abdullah.
The BJP has won 25 seats against 28 won by the PDP and 15 by the NC and is 19 short of the half-way mark to form a coalition government in the 87-member J &K Assembly.
The party has made it clear that it wants to participate in the government and would prefer to have its own Chief Minister. It is trying to project itself as the largest alliance of 31 members after claiming that it has the support of the two members of Sajjad Lone’s party and the four independents.
On the other hand, the PDP is weighing its options carefully especially about going along with the BJP with whom it has ideological differences over Article 370, AFSPA and Uniform Civil Code. The party may not want to go along with the NC against whom it ran a bitter anti-incumbency campaign or with the Congress in its present form. The PDP is 16 seats short of the half-way mark at 44.
However, apparently looking to the advantage of having a working relationship with the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, the PDP has hinted its openness for a partnership with the BJP in the State. In such a scenario, the major issue for the BJP is of getting the Chief Minister’s post, while for PDP, it would be Chief Ministership as well as an agreed common minimum programme.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who has been appointed central observer along with national secretary Arun Singh, visited Jammu after establishing contact with the National Conference. They came back armed with a resolution passed by the newly elected party MLAs authorising BJP president Amit Shah to take decisions on government formation.
Mr. Jaitley was accompanied by party general secretary Ram Madhav and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh.
The regional parties would want a moratorium on contentious issues on which the BJP’s stand has not been made public yet. The party seems okay with giving a Rajya Sabha seat and a Cabinet berth to the National Conference if the partnership works out.