SRINAGAR: After the Jammu and Kashmir BJP authorised party president Amit Shah and the central leadership to take a final call on forming a coalition government in the State, senior leader Ram Madhav met a top PDP leader and MP on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, BJP’s newly elected 25 legislators authorised Shah and the leadership to decide the future action on government formation.
He along with senior party leader Ram Madhav and MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh held one-on-one meetings with newly elected BJP members and State leaders in the winter capital on Thursday to seek their views on their choice of the alliance partner. Jaitley said there are no two opinions among the party legislators on the strategy to be adopted and there is consensus that government should be formed.
“BJP has got higher popular votes in the State but PDP has more seats. We got overwhelming mandate in Jammu by winning 25 out of 37 seats while there is divided mandate in the Valley, where PDP got 25, NC 12, Congress 4 and others 5,” he said. “We will move forward with government formation on three vital principles — national sovereignty, development and regional balance. When we think larger national/state interests are going to be satisfied, we will form the government.”
Jaitley said they have several options. “We have to evolve a strategy on whether we should ‘wait and watch’ or go for active consultation. We have to strategise on how to form the government and where to sit in the Legislative Assembly.”
Earlier, in the day, there were rumours that Omar Abdullah, NC’s working president, met Madhav, who, however, termed such reports as “baseless”.
In a related development, Congress said the party is ready to forge an alliance with PDP to keep communal parties at bay.