There had been talks between the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for over two months and finally an alliance has been forged. J&K is about to have a new government with PPP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed as Chief Minister. The PDP and the BJP together captured 53 out of 87 seats in the last Assembly polls in the state. If the two parties can sink their differences, the coalition can form a fairly representative government. The situation will be even better if the PDP joins the NDA at the Centre. The alliance will have a common economic programme providing consensus on disputed issues. A status-quo has been announced on Article 370. The AFSPA is to be handled with caution denotifying the Disturbed Areas Acts in phases. The BJP has diluted its adamant attitude on PDP demands for reconciliation with Pakistan. A dialogue with the separatist Hurriyat is also on the cards. Movement of goods and people across the LoC will be made easy. A mechanism is to be put in place to deal with refugees from Pak-Occupied Kashmir.
The two parties will now have to get down to the tricky business of governance. The previous National Conference- Congress government could not deliver on its promises. Prime Minister Narendra Modi puts development at the top of his agenda. The PDP is agreeable to work in consonance with the Centre. It gives the state a bright outlook. The new government will do well to repair the damage done by last year’s floods in J&K, to start with.
