HEADLINES 1. 55 worst performers come from PDP, NC Srinagar: Although two major Kashmir-centric parties People’s Democratic Party and National Conference emerged as first and third in terms of seat tally, both will be put to shame by the dismal performance of 55 of their candidates. Some of their candidates have even failed to secure 500 votes. NC candidate from Chhamb, Shakti Bala, managed 236 of the 59,528 votes polled. PDP’s candidate from Zanskar, Ghulam Mohammad, got 248 votes out of the 15,657 polled. Other worst performers are NC’s Salam Din from Inderwal constituency (267 of 63,396 votes polled) and PDP’s Jatinder Singh who secured 344 of the total 74,527 votes polled in Billawar. Former PDP Rajya Sabha member Tarlok Singh Bajwa stood third in Suchet Garh, scoring 8578 votes, behind BJP’s Sham Lal Choudhary (the winner with 19,971 votes), Taranjit Singh Toni of NC (10,554). Bajwa had been nominated to Rajya Sabha in November 2002, when PDP-Congress coalition was in power in the State. The list of worst performers also include NC’s former MLA from Sopore, Mohammad Ashraf Ganie (4,079 of 31,952 votes polled) and former PDP former minister from Handwara, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Sofi, who got only 14.48 percent out of 67,974 votes from Handwara. CONTINUED 2. BJP mum on alliance but puts 3 riders *Jaitley says the party holds ‘veto power’ *Coalition mantra will be ‘strengthening India’s sovereignty, regional balance, development’ *Amit Shah to take a final call SOHAIL PUNJABI JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party said on Thursday that it holds “veto power” on formation of the government in J&K, and a tie-up with a party will be based on strengthening India’s sovereignty, regional balance and development. “The party was in touch with unattached MLAs …we are not in discussions with leaders of other parties in the state. We will not talk about the strategy to the media. There are no two opinions among the MLAs on the strategy to be adopted,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here. “Whoever forms the government, the BJP must have a crucial role in it,” he said. Jaitley said BJP now holds the “veto power” in the state. “Earlier, the veto power was in the hands of Congress and now it’s in the hands of BJP,” he said. He said the newly-elected BJP MLAs have authorised party president Amit Shah to take a final call on the matter and unanimously agreed on who will be their leader in the Assembly and which benches they should occupy. Continued 2. PDP cozying up to BJP, NC develops cold feet Aashiq Srinagar: Who will form the next government in the state remained an unresolved question on the second consecutive day on Thursday, but it appears that PDP is seriously considering aligning with the BJP which holds the key to government formation. Although BJP’s general secretary Ram Madhav termed baseless the reports that outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his trusted lieutenant Davender Rana met the saffron party top brass in New Delhi on Wednesday, a senior NC leader said on the condition of anonymity that the parleys yielded nothing. “The talks were inconclusive and it is for sure that we are not going to ally with the BJP now,” the leader said. Kashmir Reader has learnt that NC veterans have opposed an alliance with the BJP and conveyed to the top brass that the party might face desertions in case of a coalition with the saffron party. Even popular youth Shia leader, Aga Syed Ruhullah, has openly expressed his opposition. Continued 4. BJP denies meeting Omar in Delhi New Delhi: BJP on Thursday denied reports that its leadership had held discussions with National Conference (NC) on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. Amid media reports that the outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had met BJP President Amit Shah here Wednesday night, party general secretary Ram Madhav tweeted, “News about BJP leaders meeting NC leadership in Delhi baseless”. Omar, who left for Srinagar after an overnight stay here, refused to be drawn into such speculation and said that he had come to the capital preparatory to departure to London on Saturday to meet his father Farooq Abdullah who has undergone a kidney transplant, and his mother, Molly who donated her kidney to her husband. Continued 5. Cong supports Mufti as new CM Reader Correspondent SRINAGAR: The state unit of Congress on Thursday backed PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to lead the new government in J&K. “It is a worrying situation in which certain power-hungry political groups and individuals are trying to subvert the democratic verdict of the people in the just-concluded election to the state Legislative Assembly,” JKPCC president Saifuddin Soz said in a statement here. “A suave, experienced and forward-looking politician like Sayeed should be allowed to lead a coalition government in the state with the support of other like-minded parties or groups. That way alone the peoples verdict would truly be respected,” Soz said. Soz said Jammu and Kashmir has experienced blackest periods of its recent history through armed militancy and devastating floods that left thousands of people homeless and needy. Continued 6. Nowshehra acid attack case cracked, says police 2 youths planned and executed the attack on college girl Izhar Nazir Ali Srinagar: Two youth who planned and executed the acid attack on a college girl in Nowshehra area of downtown here on December 11 have been arrested, police said Thursday. Irshad Ahmad Wani alias Sunny of Wazir Bagh and his accomplice Mohammad Omar Noor of Bemina had planned and executed the attack on the law college student, after she turned down Irshad’s advances, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Abdul Gani Mir, while addressing a news conference. “Irshad was stalking the girl for a long time. When he didn’t get any response from her, then he planned this dastardly act. And he planned it well to the finest detail,” the IGP said. While Irshad planned the attack, his business partner and friend, Omar, executed it after the former promised some financial gains, the IGP said. The duo run a spare parts shop in Kupwara. “They conducted recce in Sunny’s Lancer vehicle seven times. However, the crime was committed in a Maruti car, which was owned by Omar’s uncle. He had borrowed the car from his uncle on which MAUSA was written, not MANSA. Mausa was son of the car owner,” Mir said. After the attack, the duo fled from the Valley. “However, Irshad was arrested when he was returning to Jammu from Ajmer while Omar was handed over by his parents to police after he ran out of money and returned to the Valley,” Mir said. Continued 7. Surprised over PDP, NC inching closer to BJP: Azad Jammu: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday expressed his surprise at both the PDP and the National Conference (NC) ‘showing inclination’ to forge ties with the BJP to form government in Jammu and Kashmir. “We have offered our support to PDP and stated that the Congress is ready to support PDP. But it looks to me quite strange that any Kashmir-based political party-be it the PDP or for that matter the National Conference-even thinking of supporting the BJP is something new for the people of Kashmir,” he said here. Azad said that such steps will be seen as unbecoming on the part of the promises made by the PDP and the NC. “Both the political parties had assured the people of Kashmir during the election campaign that they were trying to convince the people of Kashmir that it is their political party which has the capacity and capability to stop the BJP from entering into the Kashmir Valley,” he said. Continued 8. Alliance between NC, PDP makes no difference to Kashmir: Geelani ‘Army, not civil government rules JK’ Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Thursday said any alliance between the pro-India parties for government formation makes no difference to Kashmiris. “We must understand that it is not a government that runs Jammu and Kashmir but it is the army which is the lawmaker here. All pro-India parties dance on the tunes of New Delhi,” a local news agency KNS quoted Geelani as saying. Geelani said there were “eight lakh troops, one lakh policemen and 28,000 armed VDCs manning the affairs of the state. How can a civil government claim to rule the state in such circumstances?” “Whether it is PDP- BJP, NC-BJP or NC-PDP, it means no difference to us. They all follow the dictations of New Delhi,” he added. Geelani said that 28 lakh kanals of land were under the army and the state government didn’t even utter a word over the issue. “Did any Forest minister talk a thing about the issue? No, they cannot because it is army which rules the state and not the civil administration.” Continued 9. All parties seeking my support in govt formation: Rash Srinagar: Independent legislator from Langate and chairman Awami Itihaad Party (AIP), Sheikh Rashid Thursday said that he would be the last person to jump into the government formation if the situations demands. “I have my own agenda, my commitment to the people. I’ll be the last person to join any government formation, if there is no other option left. For me, Kashmir and Kashmiris remain first,” he told Kashmir Reader. Rashid said that almost all political parties have opened communication lines with him to seek his support in the government formation. He said he’ll prefer to stay in opposition in the Assembly and continue to raise the issue concerning the people of Kashmir. Continued 10. Sena credits ‘Modi wave’ for BJP’s good show in JK Mumbai: Crediting “Modi wave” for BJPs performance in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir elections, Shiv Sena on Thursday said while the opposition parties were busy staging protests over the conversion issue, people of the two states endorsed the Prime Ministers development agenda. “The Modi wave continues unabated which has led BJP to post big electoral gains in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Jharkhand is set to get a stable government after 15 years and the credit for it goes to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said. “At a time when all opposition parties in Delhi came together on the conversion issue and were spewing venom against Modi, Continu
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 02:43:13 +0000
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