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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Mehbooba Mufti takes oath as first woman chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir
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Mehbooba Mufti takes oath as first woman chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir

Mehbooba Mufti takes oath along with 17 cabinet ministers and six ministers of state; BJP's Nirmal Singh takes oath as deputy chief minister

A file photo of Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti (left). Photo: PTIPremium
A file photo of Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti (left). Photo: PTI

Jammu: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti made history on Monday by becoming the first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti took oath in Jammu along with 17 cabinet ministers and six ministers of state (MoS). Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Nirmal Singh also took oath as deputy chief minister, as per the alliance agreement between the two parties.

Out of the total members of PDP and BJP leaders, PDP will have nine cabinet ministers and BJP will have eight cabinet ministers. Both PDP and BJP will have three ministers of state each.

Interestingly, this is the first time Mehbooba Mufti is holding an administrative post in the state or at the national level, as so far she had limited herself to party work.

The government formation has ended the three-month long political crisis in the state which started after the death of former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. The number of cabinet ministers and MoS remain the same as was under Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s government.

The 2014 state elections threw up a hung assembly in which the PDP won 28 seats, mainly from the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, and the BJP 25, almost all from the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, leading to a coalition government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Following his death on 7 January, a political vacuum descended on the state as the BJP and PDP failed to reach an understanding on forming an alliance again.

The breakthrough came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped in last month and met Mehbooba Mufti. Soon after the meeting, Mehbooba Mufti was elected leader of legislature party by PDP leaders and BJP leaders extended unconditional support to the PDP leadership.

Interestingly, Mehbooba had earlier asked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to take confidence building measures before government formation. The PDP leadership was keen that the NDA begins the dialogue process with Kashmiri separatists groups, resume talks with Pakistan, repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from some districts and get the Army to vacate occupied land.

The differences between the two parties deepened on 18 March after BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, responsible for sewing up the first alliance between the two parties, said the government formation process had reached a stalemate. But on 20 March, the second day of BJP’s national executive meeting, finance minister Arun Jaitley signalled all was not lost, saying that his party was committed to the agenda of alliance.

The Congress party boycotted the oath ceremony but members of the National Conference attended.

Political analysts feel Mehbooba Mufti becoming the first women chief minister may help increase the presence of women in the state’s decision-making process. “It is important that Mehbooba Mufti is the chief minister because women have very little presence in decision making process and governance in the state. Mehbooba Mufti has always been a front level worker of the party and was instrumental in building the party in the state. She now has to play a larger role as the chief minister and not limit herself to her own constituency," said Rekha Chowdhary, former professor of political science at the University of Jammu.

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Published: 04 Apr 2016, 11:14 AM IST
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