Senior Congress parliamentarian Saifuddin Soz on Wednesday said Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti should move court against Governor Satya Pal Malik’s decision to dissolve the state Assembly instead of allowing her to prove majority in the Assembly, ANI reported.

“Mehbooba ji should move court as what the governor has done on Centre’s instructions is undemocratic and unconstitutional,” Soz added. “Mehbooba Mufti wrote to the governor only after the Congress and the National Conference supported the PDP and the governor should have given her a chance.”

People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone has also staked claim to form the government.

The Trinamool Congress also criticised the governor’s decision. “The BJP has no respect for the constitution and is destroying every institution in the country,” Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’ Brien told PTI.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said a final decision on the alliance has not been taken yet, ANI reported. “The BJP dissolved the Assembly even though only a proposal was made,” he added. Congress MLAs from the state will reportedly meet the party’s senior leaders, including Azad and MP Ambika Soni, in Delhi on Thursday.

Earlier in the evening, National Conference Zonal President for South Kashmir Bashir Ahmad Shah said the talks between the three parties had been preliminary in nature and the outfit would not be a part of any government. “We’ll not be a part of any government, we don’t have the mandate,” he told Scroll.in. “But let’s see how things unfold.”

Shah also appeared sceptical about the proposed alliance and said the National Conference would have to keep in mind people’s aspirations. “This will not yield any good result for people of the state,” Shah said. “People gave a chance to the PDP but they drowned the state. If we join hands with the PDP, we will also drown.”

The alliance with the PDP would be a “grave blunder”, The Kashmir Monitor quoted National Conference leader Sheikh Mustafa Kamal as saying. “How can the National Conference support a party [PDP] that has already lost its identity and credibility in Kashmir?” he asked. “It is my personal opinion that if my party will support the PDP and the Congress, it will be suicide for us.”

National Conference Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani said the law and order situation in the state has worsened, with several “proxies” trying to form the government. “To come out of such a situation, it became imperative for the right-minded people to meet and deliberate upon the situation,” he told Scroll.in. “After deliberations, one of the general consensus is that we should make a collective arrangement.”

With party president Farooq Abdullah not in the state, the party was yet to iron out details, said Wani. “Now who will head that arrangement or whether it will be outside support or not, these modalities haven’t come out yet,” he said, adding that the party high command and the core group are yet to meet.

“We are in talks but nothing is final yet,” state Congress Vice President GN Monga said after news of the proposed alliance surfaced. “Maybe the idea of the alliance has come as a suggestion but it’s not finalised.”

Monga added that fresh elections should be held in the state that has been under Governor’s Rule since June. The Bharatiya Janata Party-Peoples Democratic Party ruling coalition collapsed on June 19, forcing Mehbooba Mufti to resign.

“Our stand was that they should call the dissolution of the assembly,” Monga said. “They should go and hold fresh elections so that there’s no horse trading.”

Senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said the party would follow a “wait and watch” policy. “In order to save themselves, all of them have come together,” said the former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister.