This Article is From Nov 22, 2018

Jammu And Kashmir Assembly Dissolved After Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone Stake Claim: Live Updates

Ms Mufti has tweeted a letter that she has been trying to send to Governor Satya Pal Malik.

Jammu And Kashmir Assembly Dissolved After Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone Stake Claim: Live Updates

Mehbooba Mufti said she will soon be meeting the Governor to stake the claim for forming the government

New Delhi:

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti says she will stake claim to form government in the state with support from the Congress and National Conference.

Ms Mufti has tweeted a letter that she has been trying to send to Governor Satya Pal Malik, which states that since she is not is Srinagar currently, she will soon be meeting him to stake the claim for forming the government in the state.

Here are the Live Updates of this big story:

Nov 22, 2018 00:00 (IST)
Here is the statement by the Jammu and Kashmir governor:



Nov 21, 2018 23:52 (IST)
Jammu and Kashmir Governor says Assembly was dissolved to prevent horse-trading. He stated a few reasons in a press release:
  • Impossibility of forming stable government
  • Reports of 'extensive horse trading'
  • 'Doubts about longevity' of any arrangement
  • 'Fragile security scenario' in state of Jammu and Kashmir
Nov 21, 2018 22:52 (IST)
Omar Abdullah retweeted Mehbooba Mufti and agreed with her. He said, "And I never thought I'd be retweeting anything you said while agreeing with you. Politics truly is a strange world. Good luck for the battle ahead. Once again the wisdom of the people will prevail."
Nov 21, 2018 22:26 (IST)
The BJP tweeted:
"The proposed alliance between the INC and the PDP broke up even before it was formed. They have taken contradictory positions on dissolution. One supports it and the other opposes it. Keeping the security scenario of J&K in mind, can it afford horse-trading and instability? J&K needs a firm administration to deal with terrorism and not a combination of terror-friendly parties. The best option in such a scenario is to go in for a fresh election at the earliest. This assembly cannot produce a stable government."

Nov 21, 2018 22:18 (IST)
The Trinamool Congress criticised the sudden dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Wednesday night and accused the BJP of having no respect for the constitution.

"The BJP have no respect for the constitution and destroying every institution in the country," TMC national spokesperson and leader of Rajya Sabha parliamentary party Derek O' Brien told PTI.
Nov 21, 2018 22:13 (IST)
Mehbooba Mufti has been tweeting on the current developments. She said:

"In my twenty six year old career as a politician, I thought I had seen it all! But like they say never say never! Nevertheless, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Omar Abdullah and Ambika Soniji for helping us achieve the seemingly impossible. Since the past five months, regardless of political affiliations, we shared the view that the state assembly be dissolved immediately to avert horse trading & defections. Oddly enough our pleas fell on deaf ears. But who would have thought that the very idea of a grand coalition would give such jitters.

PS - In today's age of technology, it is very strange that the fax machine at HE Governor's residence didn't receive our fax but swiftly issued one regarding the assembly dissolution."

Nov 21, 2018 22:00 (IST)
Sources said on Monday Satya Pal Malik had met PM Modi and yesterday he also met Amit Shah. They spoke on the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Nov 21, 2018 21:49 (IST)
Mistrust of the BJP-led government over the Article 35A ran in the Valley as the party has openly been against some of these special rights and privileges. The political parties suspect that the centre's request to adjourn a case challenging Article 35A in Supreme Court is a ruse.
Nov 21, 2018 21:49 (IST)
Both parties had boycotted the recently held local bodies' elections in protest against the challenge to the Article 35A, which forms the bedrock of the special status granted to the state. The fight to preserve Article 35A had united most political factions in Kashmir and had the backing of the state's people.
Nov 21, 2018 21:49 (IST)
Arch-rivals Mehbooba Mufti and the National Conference had joined hands to form the next government in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Congress. The parties had found themselves on the same side after a perceived risk to the special status of the state granted by the constitution.
Nov 21, 2018 21:47 (IST)
Earlier today, sources said the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary was summoned to Delhi and was likely to meet officials in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office or the PMO.
Nov 21, 2018 21:30 (IST)
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad says that nobody was keen to form a government neither was National Conference keen to form a government; Congress was not keen at all to form a government - it was just a suggestion.

Nov 21, 2018 21:23 (IST)
While Sajad Lone claimed he has the support of 26 BJP legislators and 18 others, which would cross the majority mark of 44 in the 87-member assembly, Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti says she has the support of the Congress and the National Conference, taking their total to 56.
Nov 21, 2018 21:22 (IST)
The Governor released a press release stating the dissolving of assembly:

Nov 21, 2018 21:18 (IST)
Yesterday, PDP parliamentarian Muzaffar Baig threatened to quit his party and hinted at backing Sajad Lone. He did not rule out forming a government, saying there were people within his party "who want an elected government".

On the PDP and National Conference possibly joining hands, Mr Baig said: "It will be an alliance of one religion. Jammu would not like it, Ladakh will not remain part of the state. This will lead to trifurcation of the state."
Nov 21, 2018 21:17 (IST)
The BJP has 26 members and Sajad Lone's party has just two lawmakers, but reports suggest attempts to split the PDP and poach Congress and National Conference lawmakers to raise enough numbers for a majority. There is a theory that if these attempts fail, the centre will aim at state elections in March.
Nov 21, 2018 21:17 (IST)
The BJP, which dumped the PDP and forced Mehbooba Mufti to quit as chief minister in June, supports a "third front" led by Sajad Lone.
Nov 21, 2018 21:13 (IST)
The BJP calls it a desperate attempt by the parties to keep their flock together. "Their attempts to come together will not succeed," said a BJP leader.
Nov 21, 2018 21:11 (IST)
Omar Abdullah also tweeted that Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has been pressing for assembly dissolution for 5 months now. He said, "It can't be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti letter staking claim the order to dissolve the assembly suddenly appears."
Nov 21, 2018 21:10 (IST)
Omar Abdullah had a hilarious take on the fax machine not working, as claimed by both MR Lone and Ms Mufti. He tweeted:

Nov 21, 2018 21:03 (IST)
The coalition between Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and the Congress is meant to stymie what sources allege are the BJP's attempts to engineer defections and take power in the state where six-month central rule ends next month. If it crystallizes, such a coalition could be the model for the much-discussed BJP vs Rest contest in the 2019 national election.
Nov 21, 2018 21:03 (IST)
The majority mark in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly is 44.
Nov 21, 2018 20:57 (IST)
BREAKING: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has been dissolved by the governor of the state.


Nov 21, 2018 20:54 (IST)
Sajad Lone, President of People's Conference, said he has sent a letter to the Governor staking our claim to form the government and said the fax is not working. He said he mailed the letter to the PA of the Governor.

Nov 21, 2018 20:47 (IST)
Ms Mufti said she has been trying to send the letter to Raj Bhavan but the fax has not received it. She also said she sent it via mail and tried to contact the Governor over phone which was not available.

Nov 21, 2018 20:46 (IST)
Mehbooba Mufti wrote in a letter to Governor Satya Pal Malik that she will stake claim to form government in Jammu and Kashmir:

"As you are aware that Peoples Democratic Party is the largest party in the State assembly having a strength of 29. You might have gathered from the media reports that the Congress and National Conference has a strength of 15 and the Congress 12. That takes over collective strength to 56," her letter reads.
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