NC, Congress in Talks with Independent MLAs to Strengthen Position in Jammu Region

JAMMU, Oct 10: The National Conference (NC) and Congress are reportedly engaging with five Independent candidates who won in the Jammu division, with at least three of them leaning towards supporting the NC. However, the Independents were not immediately available for comment.

Despite the NC-Congress alliance securing a majority in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly by winning 49 seats, the two parties are seeking to bolster their presence in Jammu. Congress, in particular, underperformed in the region, securing just one seat, while NC managed to win seven seats.

Of the 42 seats won by the NC, only two were secured by Hindu candidates—Surinder Choudhary (Nowshera) and Arjun Singh Raju (Ramban), as Congress’s Hindu candidates were defeated.

The five Independent winners from the Jammu region include Satish Sharma (Chhamb), Dr. Romeshwar Singh (Bani), Pyare Lal Sharma (Inderwal), Choudhary Mohammad Akram (Surankote), and Muzaffar Khan (Thannamandi). Both Pyare Lal Sharma and Muzaffar Khan, former NC leaders, contested as Independents after their seats went to Congress under the NC-Congress seat-sharing agreement. Satish Sharma, son of late Congress leader Madan Lal Sharma, ran as an Independent from Chhamb after Congress chose Tara Chand over him. Choudhary Akram, son of Congress stalwart Choudhary Aslam, was previously elected in 2014 from Congress and sought the NC mandate this time. Dr. Romeshwar Singh, who won the Bani seat, does not have direct political affiliations.

Some of the Independents, without being quoted, confirmed to Daily Excelsior that both NC and Congress have reached out to them. Reports indicate that Pyare Lal Sharma, Muzaffar Khan, and Choudhary Mohammad Akram are inclined to align with NC, while Satish Sharma and Dr. Romeshwar Singh are still considering their options.

Should the three Independents join the NC, the party’s tally would rise to 45 seats, just three short of the majority mark of 48, and their count in Jammu division would reach 10. Additionally, if either of the two Independent Hindu MLAs sides with Congress, it would provide the party with a much-needed Hindu face, as all their Hindu candidates lost in the election.

The formation of the Council of Ministers will be a critical step, as the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, restricts the strength of the Ministry to 10 percent of the total members of the Legislative Assembly. With a 90-member Assembly and five additional nominated members (including women, Kashmiri Pandits, and a PoJK refugee), the total strength of the House would be 95. This allows for a maximum of 9 or 10 Ministers, including the Chief Minister.

Political observers note that accommodating Independent candidates in the Ministry could be challenging for NC, as the party has already secured 42 seats. Additionally, two members will be elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

In Jammu division, the BJP won 29 out of 43 Assembly seats, NC secured 7, Independents claimed 5, and Congress and AAP each won one seat.