J-K: NC, Congress, PDP Vow To Move Supreme Court Over LG's Move To Nominate 5 Assembly Members From BJP

Jammu and Kashmir: Political parties, including NC, Congress, and PDP, oppose the Lieutenant Governor's decision to nominate five Assembly members.

Jammu and Kashmir: The National Conference (NC), Congress, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed strong opposition to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) decision to nominate five members to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Political leaders have threatened to challenge the move in the Supreme Court, terming it unconstitutional and a manipulation of electoral results.

The National Conference declared its intention to move the Supreme Court if the LG proceeds with nominating the members. The Congress party also criticised the move, calling it unconstitutional, while the PDP also vowed to take the matter to the apex court.

The controversy centres on amendments made to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Initially, the LG was authorised to nominate two members to the Legislative Assembly to represent women if they were under-represented. However, in a July 2023 amendment, the provision was expanded to allow for the nomination of three more members: two from the Kashmiri migrant community (including one woman) and one from the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP has stated that all five nominated members will come from the party. BJP Vice-President Sofi Yusuf revealed the names of the nominees: Ashok Kaul, Rajni Sethi, Sunil Sethi, Dr Fareeda Khan, and Sanjita Dogra. He emphasised that, with the BJP in power at the Centre, the decision to nominate party members had already been made.

"Thappa lag gya hai (It has been confirmed)," he could be heard saying to media in a video posted by J&K Congress as the party termed the move an "open misuse of the institution and the Centre’s powers to alter the mandate."

'Brazen Pre-Result Rigging': PDP's Iltija Mufti On LG's Move To Nominate 5 Assembly Members

PDP leader Iltija Mufti expressed outrage over the nominations on Monday, stating that all five MLAs nominated by the LG were either members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or had close ties to the party. Mufti labelled the action as a "brazen pre-result rigging of the polls." She took to X (formerly Twitter), posting, “Brazen pre-result rigging & shameful manipulation.” Mufti further added that no lessons appeared to have been learned from the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir elections, which she implied were rigged. “Might as well have nominated all 90 members instead. Why even hold elections? 1987's stolen election took J&K to the brink. Yet no lessons learnt?”

On the subject of the PDP's potential support for an anti-BJP alliance, Iltija clarified that the decision would be made by the party's senior leadership after the election results are announced. She stated, “Unnecessary speculations. Let me put the record straight. PDP's senior leadership will take a call on extending support to a secular front only once the results are out. This is our official stand.”

The counting of votes for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, with the results expected to be released on the same day.

Earlier, Iltija Mufti voiced her concern about the future government of Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a "toothless tiger" and the Chief Minister a "rubber stamp" or "glorified mayor of a municipality." She criticised the central government for stripping the region of its authority, stating on X, “With the LG ‘nominating’ five MLAs and the chief secretary changing transaction of business rules, it's clear that the incoming government will be a toothless tiger. How much more will the Government of India strip J&K of any semblance of authority and autonomy? Rubber stamp CM = Glorified mayor of a municipality.”

Mufti, the daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, contested the elections from the Bijbehara constituency in Anantnag district. The elections are significant as they are being held after a 10-year gap.

Omar Abdullah Alleges LG Curtailing Powers Of Upcoming Elected Govt In Jammu-Kashmir

Earlier, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday alleged that the LG administration had altered the transaction of business rules to curtail the powers of the incoming elected government, transferring them to the LG. He said, “The BJP has clearly accepted defeat in J-K. Why else would the chief secretary be assigned the duty to change transaction of business rules of the government to curtail the powers of the chief minister/elected government and assign the same to the LG?”

Abdullah urged officers to resist any pressure to weaken the incoming government. “Officers would be well advised to resist any pressure to further disempower the incoming elected government,” he stated.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, dismissed Abdullah's claims as "misleading and speculative." Responding to the allegations on X, Shah said, “There is not even an iota of truth, as there is absolutely no such proposal.”

The three-phase Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir concluded on 1 October, recording a voter turnout of 63.88 per cent. Results are expected on 8 October.