BJP may form government in J&K with help of rebel PDP MLAs, Independents: Sources

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party is upping its efforts to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir. As per sources, the BJP is reaching out to rebel members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Independents to stake claim to form its government. It is likely that the BJP will try to form its government after the Amarnath Yatra ends.

It is also likely that Governor NN Vohra will be replaced with some political figure in the state, say sources. 

Earlier in June, the BJP pulled out of the alliance with the PDP in the state forcing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign from her post. Her party has 28 seats in the 87-member Assembly, while the BJP has 25.

While calling off the alliance, the BJP had said that it has become untenable for the BJP to continue with the alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. "We formed the government three years ago... it was a fractured mandate in 2014. We then formed Agenda of Alliance with the PDP," National General Secretary Ram Madhav said.

Ram Madhav added that it was time to hand over the reins to the governor. "Keeping in mind larger interest of India's security and integrity, fact is that J&K is an integral part of India, in order to bring control over the situation prevailing in the state we have decided  that the reigns of power in the state be handed over to the Governor," Madhav said.