The BJP’s recent appointment of senior leader Ram Madhav as Jammu and Kashmir’s pointsperson has sparked a political debate in the Valley.
Major political parties in the region are keeping an eye on him as they see him as someone who will be working on alliances in the Valley.
Two major parties, the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have earlier accused each other of being close to Ram Madhav.
NC leader Omar Abdullah has said that Madhav is likely to have been given the task of reviving a 2014-like alliance with PDP, as he was the architect of the BJP-PDP alliance in 2015, which broke up in 2018.
“Ram Madhav was responsible for bringing the PDP and the BJP on one platform. He brokered the alliance. Perhaps he has been brought back for this purpose,” Abdullah said, referring to a similar statement of former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik.
In an interview with one of the news outlets sometime back, Malik had revealed that the BJP fearing a loss in the assembly elections, might be seeking coalition partners like its old partner, the PDP.
Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday , however, cleared the air, saying there was no chance of an alliance with the BJP, especially after the revocation of Article 370.
It is pertinent to mention that the BJP withdrew its support to PDP in 2018 based on ideological differences. Later, governor's rule was extended in Jammu and Kashmir.
They (BJP) brought Ram Madhav to ascertain (sic) with Mehbooba, as he was instrumental earlier as well,” Malik said. “Madhav can play a part in the formation of a government after elections.”
Omar used Malik’s statement, saying that the latter once had close ties with the BJP, so knew better.
“Now, why and for what reason did Ram Madhav come here? I can’t say that. Only the BJP can answer that but there is no doubt about the fact that if Ram Madhav is close to any political party (in J&K), that is PDP,” he told reporters in Ganderbal.
Madhav and Union Minister G Kishen Reddy have been nominated as poll in-charge for the Assembly elections. What goes to Madhav’s advantage, unlike other BJP leaders, is that he understands the ground realities of politics in Jammu and Kashmir.
He is also among the few mainstream leaders who have worked closely with political parties in the Valley. His presence in the valley before and even after the polls is certainly very important. He could play a central role in government formation.
The BJP right now is focused on the Jammu region, where it maintains a sizeable influence, although a resurgent Congress is also seeking to make inroads in Jammu with the help of its alliance partner, the NC.
The dynamics in J&K are such that no single party could form a government on its own given the current political polarisation.
With independents contesting in large numbers, there is likely a possibility that independents, along with the PDP, could play “kingmakers” in the upcoming elections.
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