BJP Reaches Out To Mehbooba Mufti Ahead Of Meeting With Governor

The two parties have to convey to the governor this evening whether they will be partnering again to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, under President's Rule since chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died last month.

Nirmal Singh is part of a team of three top state BJP leaders who have been flying to and fro from Delhi to firm up the party's strategy. They met BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi last night and will hold another meeting in Jammu today.

Attributing the uncertainty over government formation to the "adamancy" of the PDP, the BJP said it is sticking to the "agenda of alliance". "There is no uncertainty from our side", said BJP's Ashok Koul.

Party sources have said that the BJP wants to continue to support the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir and is likely to put the ball in the latter's court when it meets Mr Vohra today. "The PDP has to decide, it has the Chief Minister's post," a BJP leader said.  

The BJP's multiple huddles in the last two days have been necessitated by Mehbooba Mufti's insistence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah pledge in writing their support to the PDP's stand on several contentious issues.

Ms Mufti has refused to take oath to succeed her father as chief minister, making clear that her terms for a renewal of partnership are non-negotiable. She has also hinted broadly that she is not averse to fresh elections.

Ms Mufti wants written assurance on issues like Article 370, which grants the state special status, and the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which allows arrest without a warrant. The two parties have traditionally held opposite stands on these issues.

The BJP says it does not need to give such assurances. It has indicated that it considers the controversial issues "settled" when Mehbooba's father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed scripted the alliance based on a common agenda of governance.

But, sources say, the party is also not overtly flexing muscle as it does not want to be seen as damaging the coalition or pushing the state towards a political crisis.

The two parties, ideological opposites, came together at the end of long negotiations 10 months ago after elections in the state gave no party a clear majority. The PDP has 27 seats in the 87-member assembly; the BJP is second with 25.