Negating all exit polls, BJP’s local unit chief Ravinder Raina on Monday said the party will win around 30 to 35 seats on its own and form government with the support of 15 others which, including independents and like minded parties.
On the eve of results, a confident Raina said the saffron party would emerge as the single largest party in the region. “We are confident of winning 30 to 35 seats in Jammu and Kashmir. And with the support of 15 others, who could be independents and like-minded parties, the BJP will form its government,” he said and added that the party would easily cross the majority mark of 46.
“Huge gatherings in the rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and other national leaders proved that the people have voted for the BJP,” he added.
The Congress, he said, would suffer a “crushing defeat” in these elections, making BJP the single-largest party. He added that the nomination of five MLAs by the lieutenant governor (L-G) was being carried out as per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
Raina squarely rejected the claims of the Opposition parties that nomination of five MLAs by the L-G before government formation, was an attempt to rig the democracy. “Nomination would be purely in accordance with the provisions of the reorganisation act. Whatever procedure is mentioned in the act to nominate the MLAs would be followed in letter and spirit. None is above the rule of law,” Raina said.
{{/usCountry}}Raina squarely rejected the claims of the Opposition parties that nomination of five MLAs by the L-G before government formation, was an attempt to rig the democracy. “Nomination would be purely in accordance with the provisions of the reorganisation act. Whatever procedure is mentioned in the act to nominate the MLAs would be followed in letter and spirit. None is above the rule of law,” Raina said.
{{/usCountry}}“The desperation and frustration on the part of the Opposition is because they are on a sticky wicket and they know that they have lost the polls. They are going to lose these elections badly,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Arun Gupta has reminded the Congress that the process of nominating MLAs dates back to Congress era in 1963. “There was no merit in statements made by the Congress regarding L-G Manoj Sinha’s powers to nominate five MLAs in the near future. The law about the central government, or L-G, nominating a specified number of MLAs to a UT legislature has existed in the Constitution from 1963”, he said.
“There is nothing new in this law which was a constitutional amendment done by the Congress government,” Gupta said, adding that the relevant provision regarding nominations can be traced back to the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963.
“This law specified that the Puducherry legislature was to have 30 elected MLAs and three nominated MLAs. The UT Act, 1963, was moved in Parliament by then Union home minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and it was to create a legislature for the UT of Puducherry”, he added.