Congress Opposes Nominated Members in J&K Assembly

Congress Opposes Nominated Members in J&K Assembly: Accuses BJP of Undermining Democracy

For the first time in Jammu and Kashmir, five nominated members will play a crucial role in forming the government. The Congress strongly opposes this move, accusing the BJP of attempting to manipulate election outcomes.

On Friday, Congress leaders labeled the decision as an attack on democratic principles and the Constitution, urging Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha not to approve the nomination of these five representatives. Senior Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), Ravinder Sharma, said, “We oppose the nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor before the government is formed. This is an assault on democracy, the people’s mandate, and the fundamental principles of the Constitution.”

The Congress insists that nominations should only take place after the new government is formed, arguing that any other approach would betray the people’s mandate. These nominations, advised by the Home Ministry and approved by the Lieutenant Governor, are part of the amendments made to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. A recent revision on July 26, 2023, expanded the assembly to 95 members and raised the majority threshold to 48 seats.

Sharma vowed that the Congress would fight the move “tooth and nail,” calling it an attempt by the ruling BJP to manipulate the election. He added, “This highlights the BJP’s desperation to manipulate numbers despite lacking the means to form a government.”

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, the Lieutenant Governor has the authority to nominate five members, including representation for Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) and refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). However, Sharma argued that the Lieutenant Governor should act only on the advice of the council of ministers, which would form after the elections.

“Misusing the nomination provision to alter the majority or minority status post-election would be harmful,” Sharma added, calling such nominations before government formation “unconstitutional.” He reiterated that the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance is expected to win a majority, and premature nominations would undermine the election results.

Sharma also criticized the BJP for failing to fulfill its promises of adequate representation in the assembly for PoJK refugees, KPs, and other minorities. “The BJP promised fair representation, yet they are only proposing one seat for the PoJK community, compared to their earlier commitment of eight,” he said.

He also referenced the Sikkim assembly model, which reserves seats for Buddhist monastic communities, as a better example of ensuring minority representation.