A law graduate, 56-year-old Mehbooba took a plunge into mainstream politics of the state in 1996 by joining Congress, along with her father, at a time when militancy was at its peak.
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She had already clipped the wings of a few unruly Senior PDP leaders before.
On Saturday former PWD minister and senior PDP leader Altaf Bukhari told his workers that he will not be part of the new Cabinet, giving credence to reports suggesting the PDP may not repeat the previous ministerial team.
In 1999, Mufti and her father quit the Congress realising that the party was no longer acceptable to the people of Kashmir who were fighting for separation from India.
Abdul Majid Padder, who had been minister of state said he was loyal to Mehbooba Mufti and supports whatever decision she took.
The delay caused considerable restlessness among lawmakers of her party, who were pushing for early government formation.
Of the total ministers 12 are from PDP and 11 from BJP. “Development, good governance and corruption-free administration will remain the key focus of her government and there will be no compromise on it”, she said.
BJP leader Nirmal Singh remains the deputy chief minister.
Mehbooba got cracking soon after taking charge, seeking to cast herself as an iron lady amid reports of discontent in her People’s Democratic Party (PDP), warning she would not tolerate dissidence and sending a perform-or-perish message to her ministers.
Asking people not to read too much into this development of him being dropped as a minister, Bukhari said, “I represent Amira Kadal constituency, which is the heart of Srinagar”.
Mehbooba will become the country’s second woman Muslim Chief Minister after Syeda Anwara Taimur who became Assam’s CM on December 6, 1980 and continued in office till June 30, 1981.
The alliance marked the first time the rightwing BJP held a leadership position in the Muslim-majority region also claimed by India’s archenemy, Pakistan. “Apparently only the OB vans of DD & @ANI_news will be allowed to cover the swearing in ceremony of @mehbooba_mufti”.
The PDP, with 28 seats and the BJP with 25 had formed the state government after weeks of hard bargaining.
To begin with, the BJP’s boisterous campaign in favour of pro-nationalism slogans could push Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP on the back-foot. “I welcome it. I will continue to work for the party”. She took the oath of office and secrecy in Urdu, State’s official language.
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Top sources here said both the PDP and the BJP have chose to repeat the same faces in the council of ministers that was headed by Mufti Muhammad Sayeed before he passed away in New Delhi on January 7.
