The Hindu : Governor invites parties for consultations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 14, 2002

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Governor invites parties for consultations

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR OCT. 13. The Jammu and Kashmir Governor, G.C. Saxena, has invited the chiefs of three major political parties for consultations in the run-up to the formation of the next government.

``His Excellency has invited the presidents of the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party and the State president of the Congress for consultations before October 15,'' Arun Kumar, Secretary to Governor, told The Hindu. The term of the present Assembly expires on October 17.

The elections threw up a fractured mandate with the National Conference emerging as the single largest party getting 28 seats in the 87-member House. It is followed by the Congress with 20, the PDP 16, the Panther's Party four, the CPI(M) two, and the BSP and the BJP one each. The number of independents is 15.

The PDP president, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and the State Congress president, Ghulam Nabi Azad, will meet the Governor on Tuesday.

Both were in New Delhi today for consultations on government formation. The Congress Legislature Party is also meeting here tomorrow to discuss the issue.

NC keeps options open

The NC spokesman, Mohiuddin Shah, said that his party's president, Omar Abdullah, would meet the Governor on Monday in response to the invitation for a consultation. After an extraordinary meeting of the party's working committee, the spokesman said the party was in touch with the independents. "Political beings talk to political beings.''

Asked whether the NC would explore the possibilities of forming the next government, Mr. Shah said, "When the Panther's Party president, Bhim Singh, can stake claim with four members, why can't we think on those lines, being the single largest party''.

He said, "How can we close the doors? In politics, there are always surprises." Some of "our rebels" have won the elections and "they belong to our party", he said indicating that the channels of communication with the independents were open.

He said the party would not pull out of the NDA at the Centre but Mr. Abdullah had expressed his willingness to resign as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs.

The working committee requested the outgoing Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, to take over as the patron of the party.

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