PDP stands alone as real opposition amidst political overlaps
Vikram Sharma
JAMMU: The first budget session of the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, commencing tomorrow, is set to be unprecedented, with uncertain lines between the ruling coalition and the opposition.
The Omar Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) government, backed by Congress and Independents, will present its budget in an Assembly where the ruling party and the principal opposition, the BJP are both part of the government in different ways.
Omar Abdullah, leading the National Conference, serves as the Chief Minister, heading a coalition government that officially includes the Congress and several independent MLAs. Meanwhile, the principal opposition, the BJP, holds an unusual position.
BJP MLA Sunil Sharma from the Paddar Nagsani segment of Kishtwar district serves as the Leader of the Opposition, yet the BJP also indirectly governs Jammu and Kashmir through the Lieutenant Governor, a representative of the BJP-led Union Government. This dual role makes the BJP both an opposition party and an indirect ruling power in the Union Territory.
With 41 seats in the 90-member Assembly, the National Conference is the single largest party. The BJP follows with 28 seats, while Congress, the third-largest party with six MLAs, remains part of the coalition.
Despite the NC securing a working majority with support from five Independent MLAs, sidelining Congress in governance, the latter still technically remains within the ruling coalition under the INDIA bloc at the national level.
The five Independents backing the government include Satish Sharma from Chhamb (Jammu), who also serves as a minister, Pyare Lal Sharma from Inderwal (Kishtwar), Choudhary Mohammed Akram from Surankote (Poonch), Muzaffar Iqbal Khan from Thanamandi (Rajouri), and Dr. Rameshwar Singh from Bani (Kathua). Additionally, the lone CPI(M) MLA, M Y Tarigami, and AAP’s sole MLA, Mehraj Malik, also extended their support.
With the National Conference, BJP, and Congress either directly or indirectly involved in governance, the real opposition in the Assembly consists of three MLAs from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Other opposition voices include People’s Conference leader and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone and Awami Ittihad Party MLA Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh.
While the BJP, as the principal opposition, may hesitate to address issues such as terrorism and the deteriorating law and order situation in Jammu province, the PDP has pledged to take up these concerns.
PDP Legislative Party leader and Pulwama MLA Wahid-ur-Rehman Parra announced that his party would introduce three bills in the upcoming session, emphasizing their importance for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He urged all parties to support these bills beyond partisan lines to address critical public issues effectively.
With an Assembly where political allegiances overlap in complex ways, the budget session is expected to be one of the most unconventional in Jammu and Kashmir’s legislative history.
