Governor’s rule looms in J&K as Mehbooba Mufti’s oath-taking as Chief Minister

A senior government official said that since the state has a coalition government, the governor can not administer oath of office to anyone as CM unless he receives letters from both coalition partners, stating that they support the nominee. PDP leaders said that Mehbooba was still recovering from the death of her father and her swearing in may take a few more days.

“We had clearly said that if he himself opts for the top post, the BJP has no problem but if Mehbooba would be projected, the BJP would go for 50:50 formula”, the BJP functionary said on condition of anonymity.

His daughter Mehbooba Mufti is all set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, January 10.

Similarly, in 1971, when G.M. Sadiq passed away, Syed Mir Qasim was sworn in immediately as chief minister to avert a constitutional crisis.

“We have decided that we will discuss this in four days”, said Sat Sharma, the BJP State President of Jammu and Kashmir. “Even if the decision on Governor’s report is taken in a day (by New Delhi) then also the State will be under the caretaker Governor’s Rule till the oath-taking ceremony”, Baig opined.

“The State will come under the care-taker Governor’s rule, which isn’t a regular Governor’s rule”, he said.

In 1996, when Sayeed was Congress chief in the state could not find many people to represent the party, so he had to field his wife Gulshan Ara and daughter. Over the past week, she has been tending him day and night in the hospital, even telling the chief minister’s staff to leave the work to her, as it was her job- not theirs.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became Union Home Minister in 1989 and, years later, became the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir for a second time in 2015- in a coalition with the BJP.

Yesterday, a delegation of PDP met the Governor and gave a letter which said all the 28 legislators backed Ms Mehbooba Mufti for the Chief Ministership. After weeks of negotiations, Mufti Sayeed then agreed to an unlikely alliance with ideological opposite BJP after weeks of negotiations.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to bring the contested region into the Indian mainstream, while Sayeed’s party supports self-rule.