Setting the stage for appointment of Mehbooba Mufti as the next Chief Minister of J&K, the Peoples Democratic Party Thursday unanimously backed her for the top chair and submitted a letter of support to Governor NN Vohra in this regard.
Sources told Greater Kashmir that PDP leaders Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Syed Altaf Bukhari met Vohra in Srinagar and handed over the letter, backing Mehbooba for the Chief Ministership, to him.
A senior party leader said Mehbooba would be administered the oath of office and secrecy to take over as the Chief Minister, “anytime now.”
“There is a possibility that she may be administered the oath tomorrow at 5 pm at SKICC Srinagar to avert any constitutional crisis in the State,” he said, but quickly added: “No date or time has been formally fixed yet for her swearing-in.”
Following the death of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed at AIIMS New Delhi this morning, the PDP rank and file rallied behind Mehbooba and supported her for the CM’s post.
Mehbooba, who represents Islamabad (Anantnag) parliamentary segment, would be the first woman to hold the Chief Minister’s post in the State.
On November 13 here, Mufti Sayeed had made it clear that Mehbooba “deserves” to become the head of the State.
“It’s a democratic process; she works in the field while I only make speeches and sit in the office,” he said, replying to a question on speculations about the transition of power in J&K.
“After the government formation, I only focused on development and don’t get time to interact with my party workers. She (Mehbooba) has better access to them and understands their problems too; so she deserves it.”
The 56-year-old Mehbooba started her remarkable political journey in 90s and won the assembly election from Bijbehara segment of south Kashmir’s Islamabad district in 1996. She played a crucial role in catapulting PDP to power in 2002 and 2014.
On the other hand, BJP, the PDP’s alliance partner in the State, said it will go with the PDP’s choice on Chief Minister’s post.
“The PDP has to take a call on electing their leader,” BJP vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna told this newspaper.
Meanwhile, sources disclosed that the council of ministers which was headed by Mufti Muhammad Sayeed is required to take a fresh oath of office when the new CM is appointed.
This, they said, has become necessity following the demise of Mufti on whose advice they were appointed by Governor NN Vohra on March 01, 2015, here.
“Though the State Constitution is silent on whether the ministers require to take a fresh oath in case of the death of a Chief Minister, it would be better to administer oath to the ministers,” they said.
Under Section 36 of J&K Constitution, the Council of Ministers is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.
In 2009, all 34 ministers of Andhra Pradesh took a fresh oath of office after the death of Chief Minister Y S Rajashekra Reddy in a helicopter crash.