 "J&K govt formation: State heading for guv rule as parties fail to make headway")
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded an assurance from prospective partners such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that Article 370 will be safeguarded and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or AFSPA, revoked from Kashmir. It said it wouldn't compromise on its core ideology for the sake of forming the government, adding talks with other parties could take time.
Article 370, which the BJP and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, want repealed, gives special status to J&K. While campaigning in the state ahead of the Assembly elections, the BJP had toned down its demand for abrogation of Article 370. Also, the BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance at the Centre will find it difficult to convince the Indian Army to agree to revoke the AFSPA from Kashmir.
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Publicly, both PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhter and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav have said their respective parties are consulting all stakeholders, adding all options are open. "We have a crucial mandate in J&K. We will be involved in government formation. Talks are going on. Let's see what happens," Madhav said, adding the PDP or the National Conference (NC) should come forward to form the government.
PDP's Akhter said, "There are certain issues which form our core agenda. We need an assurance that these will be accepted by our potential alliance partner, whichever party it might be."
Following the elections to the 87-member J&K Assembly, the PDP emerged as the single-largest party (28 seats), followed by the BJP (25 seats). While the NC has 15 seats, the Congress has 12 and 'others and independents' have seven (the BJP claims it has the support of six of them, while the NC says two independents support the party).
J&K Governor N N Vohra has invited both the PDP and the BJP for separate consultations on government formation by January 1. The PDP's Akhter said negotiations hadn't reached a stage where the possibility of rotational chief ministership could be discussed with the BJP. He added his party had considered a proposal from the Congress on government formation, but denied having received any proposal from the Omar Abdullah-led NC.
On Friday, Abdullah had tweeted his party had conveyed a "verbal offer" to the PDP, through an intermediary. The NC's Devendra Rana, on Saturday, reiterated his party's unconditional outside support to a PDP government.
Many senior PDP leaders consider a pact with the BJP politically "suicidal". Several NC leaders, too, are against allying with the BJP. Though the Congress is willing to support a PDP government, the coalition's tally will be four short of the majority mark of 44.