NC-PDP alliance set to form govt in J&K, Congress to support




Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir (Photo: Twitter)

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Wednesday offered support to the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to form an alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Congress has 12 MLAs while the PDP has 28 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly. The National Conference has 15 MLAs.

“Congress is ready to support both the PDP and the NC if they are willing to form government in the State. Both the PDP and the NC have held talks on the subject of government formation. These talks are informal and hopefully these parties will conduct formal talks now,” The Hindu quoted Mir as saying.

The development comes just a day after senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member Muzaffar Hussian Baigh offered support to the third front headed by People’s Conference (PC) chief Sajad Lone and backed by the BJP.

Governor Satya Pal Malik has decided to keep the State Assembly in suspended animation and advocated against its dissolution. The BJP withdrew its support to the Mehbooba Mufti government in July this year, paving way for the Governor’s rule.

“Yes, the NC and the PDP are talking to each other. The option of forming the government is on the table,” a senior PDP leader told the media.

Senior NC leader Nasir Aslam Wani also confirmed that the two parties “were talking to each other.”

Lone, who has two MLAs, was also working on uniting together numbers to stake claim for the government. BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav recently came to Srinagar to congratulate PC’s performance during the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls. The PC succeeded in installing its own Mayor in Srinagar with the help of 40 councillors out of 74.

On possibility of governor Satya pal Malik dissolving state assembly after the announcement of grand alliance by Congress, National Conference and PDP, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Chief G A Mir on Thursday said they have “sixty member team” and “we will see whether governor can dissolve the House undemocratically.”

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