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Mehbooba Mufti sworn-in as first woman CM in J & K

by IBNS 04 Apr 2016, 07:06 am

Srinagar, Apr 4 (IBNS) Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party took oath on Monday as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, country's only Muslim majority state. .

The 56-year-old heads a PDP-BJP coalition government, succeeding  her father Mufti Mohammad Saeed who died in January this year.  

The  ceremony took place at the Raj Bhawan.  Governor N.N. Vohra administered  the  oath of office and secrecy  to Mufti and her council of ministers.  

 
BJP's Nirmal Singh was sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister.

The Governor  on Saturday had invited Mehbooba to form and lead the PDP-BJP coalition government in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir was put under Governor’s Rule on January 8, a day afterthe  then chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi.

After three  months of stalemate the situation turned  promising following several rounds of hectic negotiations between the two parties and the final meeting between Mehbooba and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP and PDP had joined hands last year after no party got a majority in the  state assembly elections. The PDP is the largest party with 28 seats - now 27 following Sayeed’s death - in the 87-member house. The BJP is second with 25 seats. 
 
 
 
 
 
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)