Cong wants CM cake, PDP wants to eat too

Asked about the possibility of the PDP forming the government and Congress supporting from outside, he said: ‘‘We cannot decide anything unilaterally.’’

For Sonia, a decision isn’t so easy. A section in the party is pushing for taking an aggressive stand, reaching the magical number of 44 in the 87-seat House—via defections and splits—forming the government and adding one more to the tally of states under Congress rule.

To that effect, state party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad today claimed that six Independent MLAs had committed to supporting him, taking the party’s strength to 26. And added that he would get 10 more MLAs to switch over tomorrow—when he’s returning to Srinagar—including four of a party from Jammu, an apparent reference to the Panthers’ Party.

However, there is a section in the party that’s aware that ‘‘local aspirations’’ need to be acknowledged as well. Yesterday, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti indicated as much: ‘‘Kashmiris have bruised bodies and souls. Let them not have more wounds.’’ This was a reference to a Kashmiri (read PDP) as Chief Minister—Azad is from Jammu. Also, many in the Valley are cynical of Azad being the new leader—he had expressed fears for his security when he was named party chief and although his poll rallies were well-attended and he grew in confidence in the last couple of months, not many see him as a new face.

However, Azad appeared confident today even naming the six Independent MLAs supporting the Congress: Moulvi Abdul Rashid, Puran Singh, Aijaz Ahmed, Majid Wani, Jatinder Singh and Haji Ali. The PDP, too, is working overtime to win over as many MLAs as it can so that it can stake claim for the CM’s job.

Meanwhile, the CWC also discussed conflicting signals it had received from the PDP. As a senior Congress leader told The Indian Express afer the meeting: ‘‘PDP chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is agreeable to Azad as CM, but his daughter Mehbooba, herself an aspirant for the top post, is still not showing signs of yielding. In any, case, we are also open to the idea of having Mehbooba as deputy CM.’’

Declining to comment on his prospects, Azad said: ‘‘The Congress and the PDP fought the elections with the same objective, of ousting National Conference. Having achieved this, we are going a step ahead. After all, the Congress and the PDP are ideologically similar.’’

There’s also talk in Congress circles of a possible split in the National Conference and reports that nine NC MLAs have sent feelers to break away. Almost all senior leaders participated in the meeting, including Manmohan Singh, Arjun Singh, Azad, Motilal Vora, Kamal Nath, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Oscar Fernandes, Shivraj Patil, Shiela Dixit, Mohsina Kidwai and Mani Shankar Aiyar. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, too, came to attend the 45-minute session.