Congress Opposes Nomination of MLAs Before Government Formation in J&K: Terms it Fraudulent

Jammu, Oct 4: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has strongly opposed any move to nominate five MLAs before the formation of the government in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a blatant attempt to undermine democracy and the mandate of the people. During a press conference held at PCC Jammu, JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla, alongside PCC Senior Vice President and Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Vice President Incharge HQ Ved Mahajan, and other senior leaders, criticized the BJP for allegedly attempting to manipulate the electoral outcome.

Ravinder Sharma, addressing the media, said that under the constitutional framework, the Lt. Governor must act on the advice of the council of ministers. Any misuse of the nomination provision to alter the majority-minority balance would be undemocratic. “Congress and NC are confident of securing a comfortable majority to form the government, but any move to nominate MLAs before the government is formed is an act of fraud against democracy and the will of the people,” Sharma asserted.

He emphasized that the people of J&K have elected 90 MLAs, and it is their right to form the government. “Nominations before the formation of the government would not only be unconstitutional but would also distort the spirit of democracy,” he added. The Congress leadership stated that such nominations should only occur after a government is formed, following the recommendation of the council of ministers.

Ravinder Sharma further highlighted the Congress party’s commitment to securing proper representation for POJK refugees, Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), and other minorities. He pointed out that the party had submitted a memorandum to the Delimitation Commission demanding a system akin to Sikkim’s Sangha Assembly, where only the minority Buddhist monks and nuns can vote and contest. He criticized the BJP for breaking its promise of securing eight seats for the POJK community, granting only one seat instead, which he termed as a betrayal.

Bhalla accused the BJP of keeping the nomination provision as a tool to manipulate numbers and inflate its tally. He called for the new government to take charge before such nominations are made, ensuring that the nominees are selected on merit, similar to the past practice of nominating two women MLAs through the governor’s office based on the advice of the elected government.

In addition to the issue of nominations, Congress leaders raised concerns about the lack of action following an attempted attack on former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand at his residence in Khour. Despite the Election Commission taking cognizance of the incident, no arrests have been made. The Congress leaders expressed concern for the safety of candidates and the public if such incidents go unaddressed.

The press conference was also attended by PCC General Secretary Narinder Sharma, Chief Coordinator Neeraj Gupta, and PCC Secretary and Spokesperson Sahil Sharma.