After unilaterally announcing Omar Abdullah as the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference leadership has approached all the Independent candidates, who emerged victorious in the assembly elections, to achieve the majority numbers on its own.
In the house of 90 members, the National Conference won 42 seats on its own, and four of its rebel candidates, who contested the election as Independents, emerged victorious.
Highly placed sources said that within minutes after the declaration of the results, the top leadership of the National Conference approached Satish Sharma and Dr. Rameshwar Singh, Independent MLAs from Chhamb and Bani assembly segments of Jammu and Kathua districts respectively.
“Payare Lal Sharma, Independent MLA from Inderwal, Choudhary Akram, Independent MLA from Surankote, and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, Independent MLA from Thanamandi are already in touch with the National Conference because contested elections as rebel candidates of the party”, sources said and added that all the five Independent MLA from Jammu are likely to join the National Conference within a day or two.
Sources said that Satish Sharma, who emerged as the giant killer by defeating Congress stalwart and former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand from the Chhamb assembly segment, was approached by the top leadership of the National Conference with a promise to accommodate respectably in the new government.
“Talks are going on with Independent MLA from Bani Dr. Rameshwar Singh, who is also agreed to join the National Conference with some conditions”, a source said, adding, “Things are almost materialized and announced in this regard would be made within a day or two”.
With the joining of six out of a total of seven Independent MLAs, the total strength of the National Conference will reach 48 which is two more than the majority number. Furthermore, the lone CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Doda Mehraj Malik would also support the National Conference government.
Sources further revealed that the National Conference leadership wants to rope in these Hindu MLAs to maintain a balance in the new council of ministers by inducting these faces from the Jammu region.
“By inducting these Hindu faces in the council of ministers the National Conference will strike a balance between two regions and secondly the party will achieve the majority number on its own to minimize dependency on the coalition partner Congress”, sources said.
Sources said that after Congress’s debacle in the Haryana assembly elections and its worst-ever performance in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference leadership was not ready to carry the burden of this party, which is already dubbed as a “non-performing liability” by the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.
“Instead of dumping the Congress at this juncture, the National Conference leadership would try to muster a majority on its own by inducting these Independents into the party and would dictate its terms to the Grand-old-Party”, sources said.
Sources further said that the Independent MLA from Shopian Shabir Ahmad Kullay is also in touch with the National Conference leadership and is likely to join the party. Kullay is also an NC rebel candidate for this seat.
After giving ministerial berths to some of the Independent MLAs, the scope for accommodating Congress MLAs in the council of ministers would be very limited because as per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 total strength of ministers should not be more than 10.
“The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a Council of Ministers of not more than ten percent of the total number of members in the Assembly. The Council will aid and advise the Lieutenant Governor on matters that the Assembly has powers to make laws. The Chief Minister will communicate all decisions of the Council to the Lieutenant Governor”, the Act reads.
“After accommodating NC MLAs along with some Independents, the scope for a respectable share of the Congress in the council of ministers is very little”, a source said.
Important to mention here that amid the counting of votes on Tuesday, former Chief Minister and the National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah declared Omar Abdullah as the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir without taking coalition partner Congress into confidence.
