Srinagar: Lack of consensus over the single ministerial berth has forced Congress to stay out of the Jammu and Kashmir government, ETV Bharat learnt from multiple sources.
The Congress contested the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly election in alliance with the National Conference (NC) dominating the polls winning 42 seats including seven from Jammu. On the other hand, the Congress drew a mere six seats to its kitty with the worst drubbing in its stronghold Jammu where it was expected to do well. It bagged a single seat out of the total 43 seats there, the worst performance in the last nine assembly polls.
Notably, NC has got support from five independent legislators helping it to comfortably cross the majority mark required to form the government even without six seats of Congress. The lack of poll performance has not left the Congress without any bargaining power, prompting them to settle for a single ministerial portfolio in the government led by Omar Abdullah.
"Yet the National Conference had offered them one ministerial berth in the cabinet," the source said. "But they (Congress) lacked consensus within the party as there were two-three contenders for the single post."
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra alongside its two former state presidents including GA Mir and Peerzada Sayed were the probable candidates for the ministerial berth.
The issue, according to both within the National Conference and Congress, prompted the party's high command in Delhi to direct its local unit to offer external support to the government until they reach a settlement.
Interestingly, three senior leaders of Congress comprising its President Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present at the swearing-in ceremony here.
Hours before Omar Abdullah was to take over as the first Chief Minister of Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370 and demotion of the erstwhile state in 2019, the local Congress leaders linked their refusal for not taking the oath to restoration of statehood. Instead, they offered to give external support to the government.
It was learnt that Abdullah came to know about the Congress’s refusal to be not part of the council of ministers a day before the oath-taking ceremony. The 54-year-old third-generation politician from the Abdullah family took the oath as the Chief Minister alongside his five cabinet colleagues on the banks of Dal Lake at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre, giving Jammu and Kashmir its first elected government since 2018 when the PDP-BJP coalition broke up.
The ministers include three from Jammu and two from Kashmir, addressing the concerns of Jammu having inadequate representation in the new government. The cabinet, according to the Reorganisation Act which governs Jammu and Kashmir, cannot exceed the 10 per cent of the total strength of the 90-member assembly. This meant Abdullah-led government could have the maximum strength of 8 ministers excluding the chief minister.
The two ministers from Kashmir include Sakina Itoo representing Damhal Hanji Pora in south Kashmir and Javid Dar from Rafiabad in north Kashmir. Jammu’s representation is significant as the four districts including Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba en masse gave a mandate to the Bharatiya Janata Party winning 29 seats.
Surinder Choudhary, who is a giant slayer defeating BJP state president Ravinder Raina from Nowshera was made the Deputy Chief Minister. Besides, Javed Rana from Mendhar in Pir Panjal region and independent candidate Satish Sharma from Chamb were taken into the cabinet. Now, there are three more positions vacant and one more berth is likely to be given to Jammu, representing Chenab region. The two more positions, according to people privy to government formation, are expected to be given to one from Central Kashmir, while the one is reserved for Congress until it reaches a consensus.
