The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic Party sealed the deal on Friday to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir after over two months of governor’s rule in the state.
Speaking to media, the BJP state’s president Sat Pal Sharma said, “BJP and PDP will form government based on Agenda of Alliance. There will be no change in Agenda of Alliance.”
He further added, “BJP legislators have unanimously decided to form government with PDP. We will extend support to PDP’s CM candidate.”
Sharma also said that the leaders of both BJP and PDP will go to Governor in few days and present proposal to form the government.
The BJP on Friday also elected Nirmal Singh as its leader in the J&K assembly and nominated him for the deputy chief minister’s post in the new PDP-BJP alliance government to be headed by Mufti.
The PDP had on Thursday unanimously elected Mufti as its legislature party leader.
The former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who headed a coalition government in J&K with the BJP, died on January 7. President’s rule was imposed on the state on January 9 after a deadlock over the formation of a new government.
Nirmal Singh also served as the deputy chief minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP coalition that was in office for 10 months till Sayeed died on January 7.
“The BJP reiterated that no fresh conditions (by PDP) had been accepted and the alliance with the PDP will continue on the basis of the agenda of alliance signed (earlier) by the two parties,” a BJP source said.
Earlier in the day, Union minister Jitendra Singh said that there were no differences between coalition partners BJP and PDP in Jammu and Kashmir where decks have been cleared for government formation.
“There was never a breakdown in the coalition between BJP and PDP. I think this is the continuation of the process which started about a year back,” Singh, Minister in the PMO, told reporters ahead of a crucial BJP legislators’ meeting.
