KL Desk
Srinagar
Deny the possibility of supporting the candidates of NC-Congress coalition in the upcoming Legislative Council polls, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta led faction of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) have made it clear that they are still to make up their mind as who they will be backing in the elections.
In a veiled reference, the rebel members hinted at possibility of supporting the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Polls. “We have so many options to think upon including PDP”, Prof Gupta told local news agency, KNS on Wednesday. However, he said that there was not even a remote possibility of the group supporting the NC-Cong coalition government.
“We are not even discussing that in our forthcoming meeting. We have so many options before us but not the coalition candidates” he said adding that the group will announce its decision on December 1.
While admitting that none of the parties including the BJP had approached them so far, Gupta said that the meeting with chief Minister on Tuesday was purely related to their constituency matters and had been on cards for a long time.
“We had sought appointment with the CM long back however, his busy schedule came in the way and finally we were called to see CM on Tuesday. But we did not talk about the polls. We discussed only our constituency issues”, claimed Prof Gupta.
Earlier Omar Abdullah’s political advisor Devender Singh Rana issued a statement appreciating Gupta’s gesture of meeting Chief minister and said that NC can only accept their (Gupta and Co) support if it is extended to both the candidates of the coalition Sham Lal Bhagat (Congress) and Dr Shenaz Ganai (NC).
Pertinently, the rebel group of BJP is believed to have ability to exercise influence on a huge number of Panchs and Sarpanchs, especially in their respective constituencies. “Their support will be crucial for deciding the outcome of J1 and J2 seats”, said sources within the state unit of BJP.
