J&P political news.

SRINAGAR: Political temperature in Kashmir picked up
again on Wednesday with indications from the PDP
camp that the party is open to a tie-up with BJP to form
a government in Jammu & Kashmir.
Early in the day, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti met J&K
Governor NN Vohra and told him her party was not
averse to an alliance with BJP in the face of a "decisive"
but "divisive and challenging" mandate. BJP's special
observer to J&K, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, has
already had a discussion with PDP patriarch Mufti
Mohammed Sayeed.
In what is perceived as an indication of things getting
back on track, Sayeed left Srinagar for the snow resort
of Gulmarg on Wednesday to usher in the new year. J&K
polls had thrown up a fractured mandate with PDP
coming on top with 28 seats in the 87-strong assembly,
and BJP emerging No. 2 with 25 seats. Political
observers have been predicting a PDP-BJP alliance that
would also bridge the demographic divide — most of
PDP's seats are from Kashmir Valley while all of BJP
seats are from Jammu — but the party was cautious that
an alliance with the saffron camp would go against it in
the long run in this Muslim-majority state.
In her meeting with the Governor, Mehbooba Mufti
claimed support from 55 MLAs, although she didn't
clarify where the rest of the 27 MLAs would come from.
However, both BJP and PDP sources cautioned not to
read too much into Mehbooba's meeting with the
governor.
PDP sources said all options are open, although there
have been some positive developments on the BJP-PDP
front. But given the set of issue involved in getting two
ideologically diverse political entities together to rule
India's most sensitive state, sources say it will take a
long time to reach some consensus.
BJP's Ram Madhav sounded positive, but was guarded in
his statements. "We appreciate Mehbooba Mufti's
gesture through media," he said, adding "We await
formal initiation of dialogue. But when such a mandate is
given there are more than one alternatives," he added.
Talking to reporters after meeting Vohra, Mehbooba
Mufti said reconciliation should be focus of the new
dispensation. "Our priority is not to cobble up a majority
for the sake of government formation," Ms Mufti said.
"Whichever formation firms up, it should respect the
mandate of the people and must have reconciliation as a
key principle or otherwise forming any government is
useless."