Amid exit poll predictions that there could be a hung Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has hinted that they may support front-runners Congress-National Conference alliance in forming a government can win between 40-48 seats, with the BJP coming second at 27-32 and the PDP at 6-12.
There are 90 Assembly states in Jammu & Kashmir and a party needs 46 to form the government. So far, most exit polls predict that the Congress-NC alliance could win between 35-45 seats. While the BJP could come second with 27-32 seats, the PDP may bag 6-12.
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There is a provision for the nomination of five MLAs in the Assembly by the Lieutenant Governor on the advice of the Union Home Ministry which will take total number of MLAs to 95 and the majority mark to 48 as the nominated MLAs have voting rights.
With hung assembly a possibility, PDP senior leader and candidate from Lal Chowk Assembly Zuhaib Yousuf Mir said the party could join the NC-Congress alliance to keep the BJP out of power.
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | On exit poll PDP leader and candidate from Lal Chowk Assembly constituency, Zuhaib Yousf Mir says, " According to us exit polls are not a serious activity but time pass activity. PDP is confident that it will be an indispensable & important part of the… pic.twitter.com/VTtMsUWdtb
— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2024
PDP leader Zuhaib Mir told ANI that the party was ready to take any step to save the identity of Kashmir. But, he sought to rubbish the exit poll predictions as a "time pass".
"The PDP is confident that it will be an indispensable and important part of the secular government that will form in J-K. We have earlier too said how we were ready to take steps to save the identity of Kashmir," Mir said, adding that it was important to form a government against the BJP.
Despite its stance, the PDP believes that a government wouldn't last long in the Union Territory. "Even if the PDP makes any secular government by extending support, it will not last long as they (BJP) will try to run this government in Delhi style where the Chief Minister will have to go to the LG with the begging bowl. Whatever happened to the Delhi government, the same will happen here too," the PDP leader added.
While PDP chief Mehabooba Mufti had earlier ruled out any possibility of a tie-up with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, her daughter and upcoming face Iltija Mufti had claimed that the state was going to witness a fractured mandate and a coalition government could come to power which will see the PDP playing a crucial role.
During her Mufti too, Mufti expressed willingness to join hands with the Congress-NC coalition, provided they accept PDP's agenda. However, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah hit back at Mufti, asking her why she was fielding candidates against the Congress-NC nominees.
"You have already accepted our agenda and now there is not much of a difference between your agenda and our agenda. Then do not field candidates and come, we will build a better tomorrow for Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
