MoS Jitendra Singh to be deputy CM in possible BJP-PDP govt in J&K

Mangalore Today News Network

Jammu, Jan 29, 2015: A day after reports suggested that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may be heading towards forming a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, sources on Thursday claimed that Union Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh could be named as new deputy chief minister of the state.

The J&K BJP will convene a meeting at 4 pm today and elect Singh as state party leader.

As per reports, PDP and BJP can form government in the state around February 10.

On Wednesday, the leaders of PDP and BJP apprised Governor NN Vohra separately about progress in their talks even as they prepared for a tie-up in the coming Rajya Sabha elections.

PDP MLA Haseeb Drabu, the interlocutor with the BJP on talks for government formation, met the Governor who earlier received a BJP delegation headed by party’s general secretary Ram Madhav, the party pointsman in the state.

Significantly after the meetings, Raj Bhavan issued a statement which said Drabu apprised the Governor "about the realisations which have emerged from the PDP-BJP parleys on government formation which have been continuing for the past about a month and the broad contours of the matters being finalised in the coming days."

In another release, the Raj Bhavan said during the one-hour long meeting Madhav informed the Governor "about the present status of the ongoing BJP-PDP discussions on the formation of an elected Government."

He was accompanied by state BJP president Jugal Kishore and party MLA Nirmal Singh.

In the highly-fractured verdict, PDP emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs followed closely by BJP with 25. National Conference ended up with a tally of 15 while Congress got 12 seats.

In the 87-member House, two seats each went to People’s Conference and Jammu And Kashmir People Democratic Front (Secular), three independents and one to CPM.

Ahead of the possible government formation, the PDP and BJP may be allying in the Rajya Sabha elections to fill four seats on February seven.

After a hung verdict in the elections, the Assembly was kept under suspended animation and Governor’s rule imposed on January 09 when there was no possibility of government formation and outgoing Chief Minister refused to continue as caretaker Chief Minister.

 

Courtesy: Zeenews