The Lieutenant Governor is authorized to propose five members to the Legislative Assembly, which currently has ninety elected members, in accordance with the regulations that govern Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference (NC), has voiced serious concerns on the Centre’s possible nomination of five BJP MLAs to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Mr. Abdullah warned that these nominations could spark needless political strife and advised the Union government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha against making them.
The Lieutenant Governor is authorized to propose five members to the Legislative Assembly, which currently has ninety elected members, in accordance with the regulations that govern Jammu and Kashmir. Should these five nominees prove to be BJP members, as is being conjectured, the assembly’s membership will rise to 95, moving the majority mark from 46 to 48.
“I would advise them against it (the BJP nomination). What good is it to nominate these five people when it won’t alter the current government? Mr. Abdullah remarked, “You would needlessly nominate five people to sit in opposition.”
The increase in the majority mark would reduce the lead of the NC-Congress alliance to just one seat above the necessary threshold, even though the BJP would still not be able to establish the government after winning 29 seats. “Independent candidates are talking to us, and they will join us, so our lead will go up,” said Abdullah.
In addition, Mr. Abdullah threatened legal action should the nominations move forward. He stated, “There would be a fight as we would have to approach the Supreme Court and appeal against it,” warning that J&K’s relationship with the Center would be strained at a critical juncture. “Our relationship with the Center, which we wish to improve, would be tense from day one.
In the first J&K elections since Article 370 was repealed in 2019, the NC-Congress coalition triumphed, taking 49 of 90 seats. Mr. Abdullah secured a strong majority in both the Budgam and Ganderbal constituencies from which he ran.
With six seats in the Congress and 42 representatives in the NC, the coalition has easily surpassed the first majority threshold of 46. On the other hand, the BJP secured 29 seats, which is an increase over its 2014 total of 25, but still not enough to seize power.
While the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saw a sharp collapse, gaining only three seats as opposed to its 28 in 2014, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also gained one seat. Prominent Kulgamite and member of the CPI(M), Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, denounced the Centre’s policies, stating, “The people’s vote is against the BJP government and its policies.”
Once again, the NC has become the dominant force. Over the past five years, there have been attempts to destroy the NC. “So many parties were formed with the sole intention of destroying us, but they have been completely destroyed,” Mr. Abdullah asserted.
While the abolition of Article 370 and J&K’s entry into the Indian Union have been divisive issues, the newly elected administration has the difficult task of preserving stable governance in a politically delicate climate.
In order to further aggravate tensions and alienate the local leadership, Mr. Abdullah made it plain that any attempt to nominate BJP candidates without first consulting would be seen as an imposition. “Let the government be formed, let them give suggestions, and on that basis, the LG should nominate,” he stated.
The Lieutenant Governor is authorized to propose five members to the Legislative Assembly, which currently has ninety elected members, in accordance with the regulations that govern Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference (NC), has voiced serious concerns on the Centre’s possible nomination of five BJP MLAs to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Mr. Abdullah warned that these nominations could spark needless political strife and advised the Union government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha against making them.
The Lieutenant Governor is authorized to propose five members to the Legislative Assembly, which currently has ninety elected members, in accordance with the regulations that govern Jammu and Kashmir. Should these five nominees prove to be BJP members, as is being conjectured, the assembly’s membership will rise to 95, moving the majority mark from 46 to 48.
“I would advise them against it (the BJP nomination). What good is it to nominate these five people when it won’t alter the current government? Mr. Abdullah remarked, “You would needlessly nominate five people to sit in opposition.”
The increase in the majority mark would reduce the lead of the NC-Congress alliance to just one seat above the necessary threshold, even though the BJP would still not be able to establish the government after winning 29 seats. “Independent candidates are talking to us, and they will join us, so our lead will go up,” said Abdullah.
In addition, Mr. Abdullah threatened legal action should the nominations move forward. He stated, “There would be a fight as we would have to approach the Supreme Court and appeal against it,” warning that J&K’s relationship with the Center would be strained at a critical juncture. “Our relationship with the Center, which we wish to improve, would be tense from day one.
In the first J&K elections since Article 370 was repealed in 2019, the NC-Congress coalition triumphed, taking 49 of 90 seats. Mr. Abdullah secured a strong majority in both the Budgam and Ganderbal constituencies from which he ran.
With six seats in the Congress and 42 representatives in the NC, the coalition has easily surpassed the first majority threshold of 46. On the other hand, the BJP secured 29 seats, which is an increase over its 2014 total of 25, but still not enough to seize power.
While the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saw a sharp collapse, gaining only three seats as opposed to its 28 in 2014, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also gained one seat. Prominent Kulgamite and member of the CPI(M), Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, denounced the Centre’s policies, stating, “The people’s vote is against the BJP government and its policies.”
Once again, the NC has become the dominant force. Over the past five years, there have been attempts to destroy the NC. “So many parties were formed with the sole intention of destroying us, but they have been completely destroyed,” Mr. Abdullah asserted.
While the abolition of Article 370 and J&K’s entry into the Indian Union have been divisive issues, the newly elected administration has the difficult task of preserving stable governance in a politically delicate climate.
In order to further aggravate tensions and alienate the local leadership, Mr. Abdullah made it plain that any attempt to nominate BJP candidates without first consulting would be seen as an imposition. “Let the government be formed, let them give suggestions, and on that basis, the LG should nominate,” he stated.
The NC vice president emphasized the value of keeping cordial ties with the Center and suggested that collaboration is required to handle the region’s complicated problems. “Our goal is to establish a rapport with the Center. He stated, “J&K cannot afford to have tense relations with Delhi.”
