File photo: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
Omar Abdullah has emphatically denied that his National Conference is in talks with the BJP on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, even as the BJP began discussions with his arch rival the People's Democratic Party or PDP on Thursday night.
"So many stories doing the rounds about a BJP NC deal. Let me say this as strongly as possible - THERE IS NO DEAL NOR ANY DISCUSSION going on (sic)," Mr Abdullah tweeted late on Thursday, amid speculation that the National Conference could consider supporting a government led by the BJP, which delivered its strongest performance in the state to win 25 seats, but was way short of the majority mark at 44.
The National Conference landed 15 seats and claims the support of two more and can numerically help the BJP form the government. So can the PDP, which with 28 seats, is the largest party in the state.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who held discussions with the BJP's newly elected legislators in Jammu, said today, "The people's mandate shows that the BJP must be a part of the government."
BJP leader Ram Madhav, who was at the Jammu meeting, later arrived in Srinagar, where he held talks with senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig. This was first direct contact between two parties, but it was not immediately clear whether Mr Baig, who vocally favours an alliance with the BJP, has been mandated by his party chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to initiate talks.
There are reportedly strong voices opposed to such an alliance within the PDP; its opinions on several key issues are the diametric opposite of the BJP's and an alliance could be seen as a betrayal by supporters - the BJP won all its seats in the Hindu-majority Jammu region; the PDP dominated the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.
A National Conference leader Aga Rohullah said his party must not ally with the BJP for the same reason. "People voted in large numbers to keep the BJP at bay. We can't give backdoor entry to the BJP to form the government. The last thing the people want is a BJP Chief Minister," Mr Rohullah told NDTV.