JAMMU, Oct 10: The National Conference and Congress leaderships are reported to be in touch with five Independent candidates who emerged victorious in the Jammu division and at least three of them could side with the NC but they were not available for the comments immediately.
Though the National Conference and Congress alliance has gained majority in the Legislative Assembly winning 49 seats in the House of 90, the two parties want to increase their strength in the Jammu division where their performance especially that of the Congress, was far below the expectation as the party won just one seat. NC, however, managed to get good number of seven seats in the region.
Of 42 seats won by the NC, there are only two Hindu faces—Surinder Choudhary and Arjun Singh Raju who won the elections from Nowshera and Ramban constituencies while all Hindu candidates of the Congress lost.
Five Independent candidates who emerged victorious in the Jammu region are Satish Sharma (Chhamb), Dr Romeshwar Singh (Bani), Pyare Lal Sharma (Inderwal), Choudhary Mohammad Akram (Surankote) and Muzaffar Khan (Thannamandi).
Pyare Lal and Muzaffar Khan, who had taken VRS as Judge, were the NC leaders who jumped into the election fray as Independent candidates after their seats of Inderwal and Thannamandi went to Congress under the seat-sharing pact of two parties. Satish Sharma, who is son of prominent Congress leader late Madan Lal Sharma (two-time MP and ex Minister) was affiliated with the Congress and contested the election from Chhamb after the party preferred its working president Tara Chand over him in the mandate.
Choudhary Akram, who is also son of Congress stalwart and former MP and Minister late Choudhary Aslam, won 2014 seat in Surankote from Congress but was trying for NC mandate this time. However, Surankote seat was allotted to Congress as per the alliance.
Dr Romeshwar Singh, who won Bani seat in Kathua district, has no direct political affiliation.
Some of the Independents without getting quoted confirmed to the Excelsior that they have been approached by the political parties mainly the National Conference and Congress.
There were indications that Pyare Lal Sharma, Muzaffar Khan and Choudhary Mohammad Akram have inclination towards the National Conference while Satish Sharma and Dr Romeshwar Singh are still weighing their options.
If the three Independent candidates side with the NC, the party’s tally will go up to 45, just three shot of the majority mark of 48, while its seats in Jammu division will reach in two digits at 10.
If any of the two Independent Hindu MLAs opt to go with the Congress, the party will get a Hindu face as all its Hindu candidates lost the election.
Formation of the Ministry, as per the political observers, will also be crucial as Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 has restricted strength of the Council of Minister to 10 percent of total numbers of the Legislative Assembly.
“The UT of Jammu and Kashmir will have a Council of Ministers of not more than 10 percent of total number of members in the Assembly,’’ the Reorganization Act states.
J&K has 90-member Assembly plus there is a provision of nomination of five members including two women, two Kashmiri Pandits, one of them a woman, and a PoJK refugee which will take the House strength to 95.
Ten percent strength of the Ministry which comes out at 9.5 means that J&K can have either 9 or 10 Ministers including the Chief Minister.
Besides, two MLAs can be elected as the Legislative Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Therefore, the political observers opined, accommodating the Independent candidates will be a tough task for the National Conference as the party has already won 42 seats.
Out of 43 Assembly seats in Jammu division, the BJP has won 29, NC 7, Independents 5, Congress and AAP one each.
