Former J

Srinagar, July 12 (UNI) The main opposition in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference (NC) today received a shot in the arm when former state Chief Secretary Vijay Bakaya joined the party, a move aimed at garnering support from the migrant Kashmiri Pandits ahead of the next Assembly elections in 2008.

Mr Bakaya joined the NC in presence of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and party chief Omar Abdullah during a news conference here.

Mr Bakaya had retired as the Chief Secretary last year and was then appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Reconstruction Agency for one year. His term ended recently.

Welcoming him into the NC fold, Mr Abdullah said more high profile personalities would join his party over the next few months.

However, the NC chief refused to say if Mr Bakaya would join active electoral politics. ''There is still a long way to go. The options are numerous such as the Rajya Sabha, the Legislative Council or the Assembly,'' he added.

Mr Abdullah said Mr Bakaya and another former Chief Secretary Sheikh Ghulam Rasool were likely to be part of the NC's economic cell, which would suggest economic policies for the state.

UNI