Mehbooba Mufti sworn in as first woman Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir

Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed (56) took oath as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing to an end the three-month Governor’s Rule in the state.
She was administered oath to the office by Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in the winter capital city of Jammu. Along with her 22 member council of ministers from BJP-PDP alliance also took oath. BJP leader Nirmal Singh took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
Mehbooba Mufti succeeds her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the role who had died in January 2016.
She is also second Muslim woman to become the Chief Minister of a state in India after Syeda Anwara Taimur who had served as the first Muslim woman CM of Assam from 1980 to 1981.

About Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed

• Born on 22 May 1959 in Akhran Nowpora, Jammu and Kashmir.
• She is the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
• She is currently a Member of Parliament, representing Anantnag constituency in the 16th Lok Sabha and shall vacate this role in light of her Chief Ministership.
• Previously, she also had represented Anantnag constituency in the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-09).

Background
After the death of then CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on 7 January 2016 due to ill health, the state government of J&K had lapsed. Since then it was under the Governor’s rule.
The PDP-BJP coalition has 56 MLAs in the 87-member J&K Assembly. The PDP have 27 members while BJP have 25.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2016