National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah has expressed strong reservations about the Centre's potential move of nominating five BJP MLAs to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Mr Abdullah cautioned the Union government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha against making these nominations, warning that it could lead to unnecessary political conflict.
Under the rules governing Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor has the authority to nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly, which currently consists of 90 elected members. If these five nominees are from the BJP, as is speculated, it would increase the strength of the assembly to 95 members, thereby shifting the majority mark from 46 to 48.
"I would suggest them to not do it (nominate from BJP). Nominating these five will not change the government, so what is the use of it? You would unnecessarily nominate five people to sit in Opposition," Mr Abdullah said.
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While the BJP would still be unable to form the government – having won 29 seats – the increase in the majority mark would narrow the NC-Congress alliance's lead to just one seat above the required threshold. "Independent candidates are talking to us, and they will join us, so our lead will go up," Mr Abdullah stated.
Mr Abdullah also warned of a potential legal battle if the nominations proceeded. "There would be a fight as we would have to approach the Supreme Court and appeal against it," he said, adding that this could strain J&K's relationship with the Centre at a time when cooperation is crucial. "There would be tensions in our relations with the Centre from the first day, a relation that we want to build."
The NC-Congress alliance emerged victorious in the first J&K elections since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, securing 49 out of 90 seats. Mr Abdullah won both the constituencies he contested from – Budgam and Ganderbal – with a comfortable majority.
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With 42 seats for the NC and six for the Congress, the alliance has comfortably crossed the initial majority mark of 46. In contrast, the BJP won 29 seats, an improvement from its previous tally of 25 in 2014 but insufficient to take control.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also won one seat, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) faced a steep decline, winning only three seats compared to its 28 in 2014. The CPI(M)'s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a prominent figure from Kulgam, criticised the Centre's policies, saying, "The vote of the people is against the BJP government and its policies."
The NC has emerged as the dominant force once again. "There were attempts to destroy the NC over the last five years. So many parties were created whose only aim was to destroy us, but they've been decimated," Mr Abdullah claimed.
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While J&K's integration into the Indian Union after the abrogation of Article 370 has been a contentious issue, the newly elected government faces the daunting task of maintaining stable governance in a politically sensitive environment.
Mr Abdullah made it clear that any move to nominate BJP candidates without consultation would be viewed as an imposition, further alienating the local leadership and stoking tensions. "Let the government be formed, let them give suggestions, and on that basis, the LG should nominate," he said.
The vice president of the NC further underlined the importance of maintaining good relations with the Centre, suggesting that cooperation is necessary to address the region's complex issues. "We want to build a relationship with the Centre. J&K cannot afford to have contentious relations with Delhi," he said.
