Srinagar: Amid intense speculation about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forming an alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir later this month, the leaders of the two parties on Tuesday met the state's Governor and discussed the issue of government formation here.
As per PTI, the leaders of both the parties met Governor NN Vohra separately and apprised him about progress in their talks even as they prepared for a tie-up in the coming Rajya Sabha elections.
PDP MLA Haseeb Drabu, the interlocutor with the BJP on talks for government formation, met the Governor who earlier received a BJP delegation headed by party's General Secretary Ram Madhav, the party pointsman in the state.
Significantly after the meetings, Raj Bhavan issued a statement which said Drabu apprised the Governor "about the realisations which have emerged from the PDP-BJP parleys on government formation which have been continuing for the past about a month and the broad contours of the matters being finalised in the coming days."
In another release, the Raj Bhavan said during the one-hour long meeting Madhav informed the Governor "about the present status of the ongoing BJP-PDP discussions on the formation of an elected Government."
He was accompanied by state BJP President Jugal Kishore and party MLA Nirmal Singh.
It is believed that the BJP and PDP have reached a broad understanding to form government in J&K, where assembly elections were held recently.
Sources said that both parties are working to evolve a seat-sharing formula and are expected to seal a deal soon.
The latest development comes after PDP patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed last week said "track two" dialogue with BJP is in progress.
Contending that he wants to bring the state out of a “quagmire”, the former Chief Minister told his party workers, “Track-II dialogue with BJP over the formation of government in Jammu and Kashmir is in progress.”
If I feel that my shaking hands (with BJP) will benefit the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the country, I am ready to do that,” Sayeed said.
However, he also said, “Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim majority state and the Centre must respect the mandate of the people in the state.”
He said the state was going through a critical phase and people need a strong and stable government that can deliver on the promises made to them during the Assembly elections.
The PDP has 28 and the BJP 25 seats in the state assembly. The National Conference won 15 seats and its former ally, the Congress 12. Seven seats went to Independents and smaller parties.
