JAMMU, Oct 5: Major political parties including BJP, National Conference and Congress have established contact with Independent candidates with a view to raise their numbers to have say in the Government formation as political observers were of the view that no single party or pre-poll alliance is going to get majority on its own leading to hung House with Independents holding the key.
As per the political observers, seven to eight Independent candidates have secured good number of votes and could surprise the political parties in their constituencies in the Jammu division. Most of them are affiliated with BJP, Congress, National Conference and DPAP who jumped into the electoral fray on being denied mandate by their parties.
Some of the Independent candidates are also believed to be front-runners in their constituencies in the Kashmir valley and senior leadership of the political parties have established contact with them.
“Senior leaders of different political parties have established contact telephonically with the Independent candidates who are in a position to win their seats. Mediators are also playing their roles between political parties and the Independent candidates,” the insiders said.
Almost all major political parties faced rebellion following allotment of tickets and some of the aspirants joined the battle of ballots as Independent candidates. Riding on the sympathy wave, few Independents have performed exceptionally well in the elections, the observers said.
Focus within the BJP has also shifted on nomination of five MLAs to the Legislative Assembly including two women, two Kashmiri Pandits including one of them a woman and a Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee.
Significantly, all five nominated MLAs will have voting rights on all subjects including determination of majority in the Legislative Assembly. As there will be total 95 MLAs in the Assembly including 90 elected and five nominated, it will take majority mark in the House to 48.
As the MLAs are to be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor on the advice of the Union Home Ministry, the BJP will have major say and its leaders are expected to find place in nominations.
“The Lieutenant Governor will nominate these members based on the advice of the Home Ministry. This process follows an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, which was further revised on July 26, 2023, to introduce these nominations,” the officials said.
The system mirrors the Legislative structure of Pondicherry, where four nominated members already exist. However, this step has been taken in Jammu and Kashmir following the abolishment of the Legislative Council and the nominated MLAs will be selected soon after the vote counting concludes on October 8.
The inclusion of Kashmiri migrants and PoJK displaced persons is being seen as a push towards addressing the unique issues of these communities. It is being said that such a move would ensure that the grievances of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, who fled Kashmir in 1990, would finally reach the Assembly.
In 1996 and 2002 Assemblies, there was one elected MLA each from the Kashmiri Pandits including Pyare Lal Handoo, who was a Cabinet Minister and Raman Mattoo, who became the Minister of State. Besides, there was nominated woman MLA Khemlata Wakhloo in 2002 Assembly.
However, there was no representation to KPs in the 2014 Assembly but the BJP made two KP leaders Surender Ambardar and Girdhari Lal Raina alias Ajay Bharti as the MLCs.
Hectic lobbying has already begun within the BJP for nomination of MLAs from women, KPs and PoJK categories.
In the Legislative Assembly of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, there was a provision for nomination of two Women MLAs but without power to vote for determination of majority mark.
As all the five nominated MLAs will have all powers including voting rights, the majority mark will stand at 48, an advantage for the BJP and disadvantage for other parties in formation of the Government.
The process to nominate five MLAs can be taken up after election results are declared and the list of elected MLAs is finalized by the Election Commission.
