Lt. Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha
Credit: PTI photo
Srinagar: With the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election results set to be announced on October 8, opposition parties have vehemently opposed the nomination of five members to the Assembly before the formation of the new government.
Amid expectations of a fractured mandate in an increasingly volatile political climate, local leaders are raising concerns that these nominations could disrupt the balance of power and undermine democratic process.
“We oppose the nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor before the government is formed in Jammu and Kashmir. Such a move is an assault on democracy and the people's mandate,” said Ravinder Sharma, vice president of the Congress party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit.
He insisted that any nomination should occur only after a new government is established, arguing that failing to do so would betray the electorate's trust.
Iltija Mufti, daughter of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and a candidate from the Bijbehara Assembly segment, argued that the nomination of five MLAs, coupled with changes to the transaction of business rules by the Chief Secretary, indicates that the incoming government will be a "toothless tiger."
“How much more will the Government of India strip J&K of any semblance of authority and autonomy? Rubber stamp CM = Glorified mayor of a municipality (sic),” Iltija said in a post on X.
Her remark on the chief secretary came after National Conference (NC) leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday claimed that he has received information from the civil secretariat about the L-G administration’s move.
“The BJP has clearly accepted defeat in J-K. Why else would the Chief Secretary be assigned the duty to change the transaction of business rules of the Government to curtail the powers of the chief minister/elected Government and assign the same to the LG?” Omar said in a post on X on Friday.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, the lieutenant governor has the authority to nominate five members, including representation for Kashmiri Pandits and refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the 2022 delimitation process, J&K Assembly will have 90 elected MLAs, with the halfway mark set at 45. If the nominated members are granted voting rights, the effective threshold for a majority would increase to 48.