New Delhi: The question doing the rounds in Jammu and Kashmir these days is: Will the BJP join hands with the PDP in the state?
The negotiations between both the parties are going on over government formation in the state.
However, here are five reasons why the BJP should support the PDP and try to form a government with the party in Jammu and Kashmir:
1. The PDP has emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections with 28 seats followed by the BJP at 25. The PDP has the ‘moral mandate’ of the people and the BJP should support it to form the new government.
2. The PDP has won 25 seats in the Kashmir Valley and 3 in the Jammu region. The BJP has won all of its 25 seats in the Jammu region only. The BJP has a chance to bridge this gap between the Valley and the Jammu region in order to maintain harmony in the state.
3. The BJP has won 23 per cent of the popular vote in the entire state, while the PDP has won 22.7 per cent of the popular vote. Overall, the BJP has got 1107194 votes and the PDP has managed to get 1092203 votes. It is true that the BJP has secured the highest number of votes in the state but the difference between the two parties is just 14,991 votes. The BJP should remember this fact.
4. The BJP should not waste the opportunity to be a part of the ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had a conversation with PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Saturday. There is a possibility that the Congress will try to form a ‘grand alliance’ with the PDP and the National Conference in order to keep the BJP at bay in the state.
5. The BJP is a national party and it should think nationally. It should not restrict itself to any region of a particular state. It should be gracious enough to ask the PDP to form the government. The PDP had sought an assurance from the BJP over Article 370 and revocation of AFSPA. By doing so the party would be able to maintain a fine balance between the Centre and the state government.
