J&K polls: 5 reasons why PDP should go with the Congress

1. Deprives separatists of an issue: Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's three year tenure from 2002-2005 is acknowledged as one of the most peaceful periods in Kashmir ever since the insurgency broke out in the late 1980s. His healing touch policy and his efforts towards quiet reduction in military presence almost took the wind out of the sails of the separatists. If Mufti were to align with the BJP, it would only enable the separatists to accuse him of betraying the interests of Kashmiri Muslims.

2. Keeps hardline Jammu BJP at bay: It is a known fact that the BJP in Jammu is much more hardline than what it is in rest of India. This was evident in the Amarnath agitation, in which the party played an active part. To have an alliance with the BJP, Mufti will have to accomodate the same Jammu BJP MLAs in his council of ministers. The alliance can work only if Mufti works out the modalities directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh and the BJP's central leadership.

3. Beleaguered Congress a tame ally: The Congress is down and out at the national level and it is losing one state after another. The party would be desperate to clutch on to any straws of power in Jammu and Kashmir and will settle for any terms that Mufti sets before them.

4. Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad have an old relationship: Ghulam Nabi Azad, the tallest leader of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed go back a long time. Azad, in many ways considers Mufti his senior and mentor in politics. Though Mufti left the Congress twice, first to join VP Singh's Jan Morcha in 1987 and then again in 1999 to form the PDP, and Azad remained a loyal Congressman, the two share a close relationship. Moreover, Azad's Rajya Sabha term ends in a few months time and he will be seeking re-election from Jammu and Kashmir. So it will be a symbiotic relationship with Mufti being the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Azad being the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

5. Respecting its own mandate: Though it would be magnanimous of Mufti to offer a olive branch to the BJP as it would signal his desire to respect the aspirations of the Hindus of Jammu, he cannot afford to alienate his own constituency. The high turnout in the Valley was largely driven by the fear of the BJP. The separatists did not enforce the boycott effectively and many people cast their vote for the first time since the "rigged" 1987 election, just to keep the BJP out. There were widespread fears that if the BJP succeeds in its Mission 44+ it would do away with State Subject laws and the contentious Article 370. The PDP was most vociferous in stoking fears that Kashmiri identity was under threat by the BJP. So PDP would be betraying this mandate if it does end up aligning with the BJP.