Why J&K Governor dissolved the Assembly: Details here
Governor Satyapal Malik, whose decision to dissolve Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday made way for political tremors, has defended his decision saying the alliance could not have resulted in a stable government. He said the ally partners had contradicting political ideologies and cited fragile state of security in the state as reasons behind his decision. Notably, Mehbooba Mufti and Sajad Lone had staked claim to form the government.
Backstory: Late on Wednesday, J&K politics saw a turmoil
On Wednesday, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti staked claim to form the government, with the support of her staunch rival Omar Abdullah's National Conference and Congress. Mufti claimed she had the support of 56 MLAs in 87-member house. Separately, People's Conference's chief Sajad Lone sent a letter to the Governor. Lone, who has two MLAs in the House, said he had the support of BJP and 18 independent MLAs.
Rivals let go off differences to form an alliance
The rival parties termed their joining hands as 'grand alliance of secular parties', and chose to bury their differences for the time being. Notably, PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig had lent his support to Lone saying he would consider the third front, if 'alliance was formed'. But dreams of forming government drowned after Malik dissolved the Assembly describing it 'best course of action'.
Later, Raj Bhavan released press release to reveal reasons
A press release of Raj Bhavan revealed reasons behind Malik's decision. The release cited 'impossibility of forming a stable government by the coming together of political parties with opposing political ideologies' as one reason. The release said there were various reports of horse trading and there were concerns about the longevity of this alliance. The other reason was the security situation in the state.
Acted within rules of Constitution, Malik says
Speaking to India TV, Malik said political parties should cheer his decision as they have been demanding that Assembly be dissolved for the last five months. He also set the record straight that he had no pressure from Centre and acted on his own. About the future, Malik said elections in the Northernmost state were imminent but could happen alongwith 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Notably, a fax machine has garnered attention in J&K
Keeping her side of the story, Mufti said she tried sending the letter through fax but 'strangely the fax is not received'. She said when she tried contacting Malik through phone, but he could not be reached. Reacting on this, Malik said his office was closed due to Eid. "On a holiday, no one was sitting next to the fax machine," Malik said.
Meanwhile, on Twitter rivals turned allies support each other
Mufti took to Twitter to express her thoughts on the dissolved Assembly. She expressed gratitude to Omar Abdullah and Ambika Soni, a statement she never imagined she would say. In response, Omar Abdullah tweeted, "And I never thought I'd be retweeting anything you said while agreeing with you. Politics truly is a strange world." They wished each other best.
Jokes were exchanged, laughs were shared
Separately, BJP welcomed the decision
"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," the BJP said.
