Mehbooba Chosen PDP Legislature Party Chief, Paves Way For CM Post

Mehbooba Mufti becomes PDP’s obvious choice for the post of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti meeting party leaders in Srinagar in January-end this year. (Photo: PTI)

The crucial meeting of PDP legislators held at Mehbooba Mufti’s residence ended on a solid note: she was unanimously elected as the leader of PDP legislature party. Mufti would be meeting the Jammu and Kashmir governor on Friday.

Thank you for choosing me as the leader of PDP legislature party. You all are my strength.

<b>Mehbooba Mufti, PDP chief</b>

This makes Mufti the PDP’s obvious choice for the Chief Minister’s post. She would be the first woman CM of India’s only Muslim majority state.

In that case, she will have to get elected to either house of the state’s bicameral legislature and also resign her Lok Sabha seat. Mehbooba represents south Kashmir’s Anantnag constituency in the Lok Sabha.

The meeting at Mufti’s residence.

Party insiders had said earlier that Mehbooba will not stand down from her claim to chief ministership and allow somebody else to don the mantle because that could create infighting in the party.

The PDP legislature party has authorised Mehbooba to take a call on continuing the ruling alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government after Mehbooba’s father and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died in a Delhi hospital.

(With IANS inputs)