BJP core group to meet ahead of key meeting with J&K governer on govt formation

Ahead of the meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra to clear its stand on government formation, BJP's core group will hold an important meeting in Jammu, the winter capital city, today.

BJP's three-member panel from its state's core group yesterday rushed to New Delhi and held consultations with central leadership before meeting the Governor to discuss government formation.

This is the second core group meeting in past 24 hours.

"At 4 PM, we will hold a meeting of the core group to discuss the issue. The panel which had gone to New Delhi for meeting with the central leadership will brief us", BJP's General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul told PTI.

He said that after the meeting, the BJP teamwill meet the Governor over the issue.

Replying to a question on uncertainty over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Koul said, "From our side there is positivity and we feel the same from the other side. There is no uncertainty from BJP side".

He maintained that the party is sticking to the "agenda of alliance" but "adamancy is from PDP".

A three-member panel of former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, state BJP Chief Sat Sharma and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore had gone to New Delhi yesterday soon after the core group meeting here and discussed the issue with central leadership last evening.

After tough talk by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, BJP yesterday made it clear that it will not come under any pressure over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir even as it is committed to the common minimum programme chalked out last year.

On the eve of meeting Governor N N Vohra to convey its stand, BJP put the onus of carrying forward the alliance on PDP, saying Mehbooba has to take a call on continuing the road-map laid by her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

The political crisis in Jammu and Kashmir arose after Sayeed died on January 7.

Sayeed's daughter and PDP Chief Mehbooba said on Sunday that before taking a call on continuing the alliance, she wants to "reassess" whether the Narendra Modi government would take substantive steps within a 'set time-frame' to address the "core" political and economic issues of the state.

After the core group meeting yesterday in Jammu, state BJP chief Sat Sharma told reporters that there was "no concrete" demand or condition from PDP in writing.

The Governor has written to leaders of the two parties asking them to clarify their stand on government formation by today.

PDP, with 27 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly and BJP with 25 legislators, ran a coalition government headed by Mufti Sayeed for 10 months before his demise on January 7.