Mehbooba Mufti meets Jammu and Kashmir governor, hints at alliance with BJP
The People’s Democratic Party president said if she felt the Centre was working for the welfare of the state, she will have no objection in forming a government with the BJP.
People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday hinted at forming a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Speaking at a party function in Jammu, Mufti said, “I am not a stubborn person. If I feel that the Centre is working for the welfare of the state, then surely the government will be formed.” However, she added that if an alliance was needed only for the sake of forming a government or to delay polls in the state, she was unwilling to do so.
The state has been under Governor’s rule since early January when former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died after a prolonged illness. Mufti, who is Sayeed's daughter, met Governor NN Vohra on Friday and said her father had not joined hands with the BJP as a party, but it was a coalition with the central government for the benefit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. She added that if the aim of forging an alliance with BJP is fulfilled, then she has no objection in forming the government, reported PTI.
The PDP has 27 seats in the 87-member state assembly, while the BJP has 25. The two parties had run a coalition government for 10 months until January after the state elections in 2015.