BJP, PDP leaders meet state governor over possible tie-up for Kashmir govt formation

Jammu: PDP and BJP may be heading towards forming a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir with leaders of both the parties apprising Governor NN Vohra separately about progress in their talks even as they prepared for a tie-up in the coming Rajya Sabha elections. [caption id=“attachment_2068695” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra. Agencies[/caption] PDP MLA Haseeb Drabu, the interlocutor with the BJP on talks for government formation, met the Governor who earlier received a BJP delegation headed by party’s General Secretary Ram Madhav, the party pointsman in the state. Significantly after the meetings, Raj Bhavan issued a statement which said Drabu apprised the Governor “about the realisations which have emerged from the PDP-BJP parleys on government formation which have been continuing for the past about a month and the broad contours of the matters being finalised in the coming days.” In another release, the Raj Bhavan said during the ne-hour long meeting Madhav informed the Governor “about the present status of the ongoing BJP-PDP discussions on the formation of an elected Government.” He was accompanied by state BJP President Jugal Kishore and party MLA Nirmal Singh. In the highly-fractured verdict, PDP emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs followed closely by BJP with 25. National Conference ended up with a tally of 15 while Congress got 12 seats. In the 87-member House, two seats each went to People’s Conference and Jammu And Kashmir People Democratic Front (Secular), three independents and one to CPM. While Drabu declined to speak to the media, Madhav told reporters that “a structured dialogue would be started soon. We are working for ground work in that direction. After that is completed, structured dialogue would be started. It takes some more time to complete the process”. “Our talks are going on with PDP. There is progress in the talks. There is need to deliberate on two-three issues between the parties, which need a clearance on ideological front. After that we will come to a conclusion”, he said. “We feel that we will reach a stage soon to be able to give a stable government but do not ask me about the issues. “We have informed governor that talks are going on. We are making efforts to make a stable government in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said and ruled out any connection between government formation in Jammu and Kashmir and elections in Delhi. Asked whether the government formation is near, he said “it’s for you to guess”. Ahead of the possible government formation, the PDP and BJP may be allying in the Rajya Sabha elections to fill four seats on February seven. BJP has already announced two candidates for the four seats which fall vacant after the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saif-ud-din Soz on 10 February and Ghulam Nabi Wani and Mohammad Shafi of National Conference on 15 February. The Election Commission has issued three separate notifications for the four seats of Rajya Sabha. In the first election, there will be polling for the first seat, in the second for the second, and in the third for the two other seats. In the elections for the first two seats, a minimum of 44 votes will be required to win while for the third and fourth a minimum of 29 votes is required. After a hung verdict in the elections, the Assembly was kept under suspended animation and Governor’s rule imposed on January nine when there was no possibility of government formation and outgoing Chief Minister refused to continue as caretaker Chief Minister. PTI