BJP decides to form Government in Jammu & Kashmir

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which received the mandate to form the government in Jharkhand, has also decided to explore all possibilities to form the government in Jammu & Kashmir where it has won 25 seats, all in Jammu region. It was decided at BJP’s Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi. The party will send senior leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to J&K to explore the possibilities.

The BJP is in touch with the People’s Democratic Party, which won 28 seats and National Conference, which won 15 seats. The BJP has put the conditions that it should get either the Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister’s post. If there is an alliance with the PDP, BJP will demand Deputy CM’s post. But, in case with the alliance with NC, BJP will demand the CM’s post.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, MP from Udampur, has emerged as the front-runner to lead the BJP in Jammu & Kashmir. The PDP is in a dillema, as it will have to rely on Centre to get funds and assistance despite forming the government with any non-BJP party. The BJP has already opened back-channel talks with PDP and NC and any one of them is expected to bite the bait soon.