PDP claims support of 55 legislators
Jammu:PDP leader Meh-booba Mufti on Wednesday met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and dropped hints that her party is not averse to joining hands with BJP as she said the poll mandate was an “opportunity” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invoked Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Without giving details of what exactly she discussed with Vohra, Mehbooba said her meeting with the Gover-nor was “informal” in the wake of a “decisive but divi-ded mandate” thrown up by the recent Assembly polls.
Answering questions over the issue of government formation, she told reporters that “PDP’s priority is not to cobble up a majority for the sake of government formation.”
Whatever formation is firmed up, it should respect the mandate of the people and have the principle of “reconciliation”, she said.
Mehbooba, whose party has bagged 28 seats in the 87-member Assembly, said the mandate was a “challenge and opportu-nity” for national leader-ship, be it NDA or Congress.
“For NDA government, it is a big responsibility, for Modi, it is a big responsi-bility. Jammu and Kashmir has been the biggest challenge for any PM right from Nehru till date,” Mehbooba said.
Referring to Modi’s “dream” of development and addressing the problem of unemployment, the PDP leader said there cannot be “development till there is peace on the ground”.
PDP president Meh-booba Mufti told Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra Wednesday that her party had the support of 55 legislators in the 87-seat assembly to form a stable government.
Mehbooba Mufti did not specify if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with 25 legislators, was supporting her but made a pointed laudatory reference to former prime minister and now ailing BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mehbooba Mufti later told the media: “We have the support of 55 MLAs. It is our intention that a stable government is formed to address the huge problems faced by the people in the state. She, however, did not specify if a PDP-BJP alliance will take office in the state although most pundits believe that will be the case.(PTI)