National Conference Yet to Extend Deputy Speaker Post To Principal Opposition BJP

Despite a set precedent of offering the Deputy Speaker's post to the principal opposition party, the National Conference has yet to offer this post to the BJP. The ruling party is thinking to favour Congress or its own candidate for this post.

Although former minister and two-time BJP MLA Sunil Sharma has been elected as Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, the party has not announced the name of Deputy Speaker because the ruling National Conference has yet not offered this post of the principal opposition party.

Highly placed sources contrary to the reports that the National Conference to give the Deputy Speaker's post to the principal opposition party BJP, the ruling party has not yet officially made any announcement in this regard.

Sources said that the National Conference is unlikely to give the Deputy Speaker's post to the BJP as the ruling party wants to either give this post to any Congress MLA or accommodate its party leader.

Sources said that a group within the National Conference has made it clear to the party leadership that giving the Deputy Speaker's post to the BJP will send a wrong message in Kashmir Valley and rival groups, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would exploit this issue to expose "nexus" between two parties.

Civil secretariat building in Srinagar. File image.

NC leadership was earlier thinking of offering Dy Speaker's post to BJP

Earlier, the NC leadership was thinking of giving the Deputy Speaker's post to the BJP to avoid direct confrontation with the Union government.

There was precedent in the previous assemblies in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that the Deputy Speaker's post was offered to the principal opposition parties.

During the NC-Congress regime from 2008 to 2014, opposition PDP leader Mohammad Sartaj Madni was Deputy Speaker in the Legislative Assembly. Similarly, during the PDP-BJP regime from 2015 to 2018, opposition National Conference leader Nazir Gurezi was the Deputy Speaker in the Legislative Assembly.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is set to hold its first legislative assembly session since the revocation of Article 370 on Monday, on November 4.

The political dynamics have since shifted significantly, with the BJP attempting to consolidate power in the region, while traditional parties like the NC seek to retain their influence amidst these changes.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday elected Sunil Sharma as its Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly and nominated Narender Singh for the post of the Deputy Speaker.

Earlier, former minister Sunil Sharma was elected as the leader of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP legislature party on Sunday. The MLA from Padder Nagseni in the Kishtwar district is all set to be the leader of the opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

"Sunil Sharma has been elected as the BJP legislature party leader. He will be the leader of the opposition in the assembly," a BJP spokesman said after a meeting of the Legislature party here.
The 47-year-old BJP leader was elected for a second term in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly. Sharma won with a narrow margin from Padder Nagseni, a newly created constituency after the 2022 delimitation process in the Union Territory.

Sharma was a minister of state in the PDP-BJP coalition government from 2014 to 2018.