Having exhausted all efforts so far to split the PDP and poach the party’s MLAs to form its government in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP is left with hardly any option except imposition of President’s Rule in the state when the six-month term of the Governor’s Rule ends on 19 December.
The state was put under the Governor’s Rule on 19 June by the then Governor NN Vohra when the BJP suddenly withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP government. Instead of dissolving the Assembly, Vohra kept it in suspended animation, which provided an opportunity of horse trading to the BJP.
The BJP leadership was, however, making last-ditch efforts to somehow garner support and form government with support of separatist-turned-politician Sajjad Lone who was being projected as the chief minister. However, it might be an uphill task as out of the five MLAs of PDP, who had initially revolted, three have staged a “homecoming” thereby leaving the “tainted” Imran Reza Ansari and another PDP MLA in the rebel camp. Ansari, who was a minister in the Mehbooba cabinet, has been declared “willful defaulter” of loans to the tune of Rs 32 crores by the Punjab National Bank.
Lone and Ansari were reportedly assigned the task of splitting the PDP to enable the BJP form government in the state.
With its strength of 25 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly, the BJP requires support of 44 legislators to form the government. Even after the support of 2 Peoples Conference MLAs, including Lone, and a couple of others, the BJP was reportedly falling short of 19 to reach the magic figure.
BJP organisational secretary for J&K Ashok Kaul is reportedly in touch with some PDP MLAs. BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav is also making frequent trips to Srinagar where he has held closed-door meetings with Lone, Ansari and newly elected Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu who recently resigned from the National Conference.
Under the existing J&K Constitutional provisions, the Governor’s Rule can be imposed in the state only for six months. The state shall have to be put under the President’s Rule if no party stakes claim to form the government by 19 December when the tenure of Governor’s Rule ends.
Governor Satyapal Malik has already dropped hints of holding fresh Assembly elections if no party staked claim to form the government.
In a bid to thwart attempts of the BJP to form a government through “horse trading”, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Panthers Party and various other parties have been asking the Governor to dissolve the Assembly.
Instead of obliging the opposition parties, Governor Malik reversed the orders of his predecessor Vohra who had frozen the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) of MLAs of the Assembly and also banned inauguration of development works by them on the ground that the Assembly was under suspended animation.