MLA denies offering support to BJP

Speaking to The Indian Express, Yasin denied the report and said he was misquoted by the news agency.

People’s Democratic Front chief Hakim Yasin, who has been elected to J&K Assembly, on Wednesday denied reports about his offer of support to the BJP.

Earlier in the day, a news agency quoted him as saying: “A strong government is needed to mitigate people’s problems. I will support BJP if it is needed for the formation of a government.”

However, speaking to The Indian Express, Yasin denied the report and said he was misquoted by the news agency.

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Yasin is among the seven legislators — besides him, three Independents, one from CPM and two from People’s Conference — who could play a crucial role in the formation of the next government.

Meanwhile, sources in the People’s Conference say that nobody has approached party chief Sajad Ghani Lone yet.

Independent legislator Engineer Rashid too has not been approached by any one till now, sources said. The maverick politician, who secured second straight win from Langate, said that all the options were open for him.

CPM’s M Y Tarigami, who won from Kulgam, has also kept his options open. He, however, said that it would be difficult for him to join a BJP-led government. “I will have to go by the ideology and the policy of my party,” he added.

Bashaarat Masood

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More