JAMMU: The Congress party has opposed the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party’s attempt to secure the nomination of five leaders to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the Lieutenant Governor before forming a new government.
“Such a move is undemocratic and contrary to the people’s mandate,” the party said, urging the LG to refrain from taking such action.
Responding to media reports regarding the nominations, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) said the authority to nominate these five members should rest with the newly formed government.
JKPCC Senior Vice President and Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, “Bypassing this process would undermine democratic principles and betray the will of the electorate.”
“The people have cast their votes to elect their representatives to form the government. The party that secures a majority in the elections deserves the opportunity to govern,” Sharma asserted.
While the Congress party supports the idea of reserving seats in the Assembly for refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Kashmiri Pandits and other minorities, it cautioned against the misuse of nomination provisions to subvert the electoral mandate.
“Using nominations to dilute the people’s choice would be a grave injustice,” he added. (KNO)