Government formation can wait but the Legislative Council polls cannot. Deadlock over the government formation notwithstanding, People's Democratic Party and BJP have reached on an understanding to fight legislative council polls together in Jammu and Kashmir.
Government formation can wait but the Legislative Council polls cannot. Deadlock over the government formation notwithstanding, People's Democratic Party and BJP have reached on an understanding to fight legislative council polls together in Jammu and Kashmir.
Elections for 11 seats in the Upper House shall be held on March 2. Notification for the four from Kashmir Valley, two from Ladakh and five from Jammu was issued on February 12.
Under the seat sharing arrangement, PDP, which emerged as single largest party winning 28 seats in the recently held polls, will be contesting six Legislative Council seats while BJP, which emerged second largest party with 25 seats, will be contesting five seats of the Upper House.
"Seat adjustment has already been done. We are contesting six and they (BJP) are contesting five. We hope to win 10 seats. It could be six and four seats respectively," Naeem Akthar, chief spokesman of PDP told dna.
Akhtar however tried to steer clear and separate the upper house elections from the government formation in the state. "These are two different things," he said.
The explanation however did not impress the National Conference working president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah who took a jibe at the two parties for what he said "fooling" the people.
"If there are hurdles in BJP and PDP alliance talks as we keep being told by sources how come they manage seat sharing so easily? Both for the Rajya Sabha & MLC elections seat sharing has been effortless for them so who are they trying to fool on Govt formation?" tweeted Omar.
Talks between the two parties has hit the roadblock after PDP insisted on withdrawing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), avoiding raking-up the article 370 and talks with Hurriyat Conference and Pakistan.
BJP however has been adamant on leaving the security related issues to the forces and the talks with Pakistan to the foreign ministry to decide.
NC however is not amused and claimed that the PDP is "enacting a drama" over the government formation though they have reached on an agreement on the issue.
"This drama of overnight haughtiness by PDP was just a classic Mufti-esque theatrical act in the media to bargain for six year CM term for Mufti. PDP has finalised its alliance with the BJP and this became formal with their alliance in the Rajya Sabha polls. Now, the two parties are jointly contesting Legislative Council polls," said a joint statement of top NC leaders.
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