Will she? Won’t she? The suspense over whether Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti agrees to be sworn in as the next chief minister to head the PDP-BJP coalition government has to end sooner or later, but the stress under which her father served during the past 10 months is weighing heavily on the daughter’s mind.
“Mufti sahib served under stress during the last 10 months as the chief minister. He had strong shoulders to bear the burden despite a hurting sense of betrayal because the promises made to him did not come off,” a close confidante of Mufti Sayeed, who is believed to also enjoy Mehbooba’s confidence, told IANS.
Both Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari visited Mehbooba Mufti to offer her condolences. Her father had a long-time hot and cold relationship with the Congress party, serving as a minister on multiple occasions in Congress governments. Sonia’s visit yesterday has fuelled speculation that the NDA government in Kashmir may end much sooner than expected.
As she emerges from the deep shock of losing her father, mentor and friend, Mehbooba Mufti is slowly reconciling to the hard realities of political life.
Senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member Muzaffar Hussain Beigh has dismissed speculation that any conditions were discussed between the PDP and the BJP for handing over the mantle of state’s governance for the remaining five-year period of the state assembly.
Media reports about a fresh set of conditions being discussed by the BJP to facilitate the elevation of Mehbooba to the top slot were strongly dismissed by BJP general secretary Ram Madhav in New Delhi on Monday.
(Sheikh Qayoom writes for IANS agency, this article has inputs from The Quint)
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