10 reasons Mehbooba Mufti's swearing-in ceremony was special
While Mehbooba Mufti was sworn in as the first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir today, which marks the beginning of the PDP's second innings with the BJP, some developments at the ceremony in Jammu were conspicuous, triggering a new spell of speculations.
1. Amid ongoing controversy over "Bharat Mata ki jai", none of the BJP ministers shouted the slogan. This was in stark contrast to the previous oath-taking on March 1, 2015 when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's government was formed. That time "Bharat Mata ki jai" sloganeering rented the air.
2. As with regard to the council of ministers, Mehbooba's team size is smaller than that of her father's. While Mufti's team had 13 ministers from the PDP and 11 from the BJP, this time it's 11 each.
 |
| Meet Jammu and Kashmir's first woman CM. (ANI) |
3. Representation of Srinagar, which fetched five strategic seats to the PDP in the Assembly elections of 2014, has been drastically reduced this time. In the previous government, the summer capital had representation of three MLAs. But, as of now, only Asiya Naqash has been retained in the council of ministers.
4. The other two lawmakers from Srinagar, who have been dropped, include businessman-turned-politician Syed Altaf Bukhari. He had remained the PDP's poster boy in the city during the previous elections and was seen among the most influential voices thereof. His absence is a mystery as he was seen among most efficient ministers in the previous regime.
5. For her coronation, Mehbooba ensured to wear her trademark green shalwar kameez. It was unlike the oath-taking of her father, when she was seen in blue.
6. Unlike the previous swearing-in at the jam-packed General Zorawar auditorium, which has seating capacity of around 1,500, this time the venue was Raj Bhawan, with some 500 odd invitees making it to the ceremony.
7. Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, who were invited, skipped the function.
8. Srinagar MP, Tariq Hameed Karra, who for the past three months was often seen rubbing shoulders with Mehbooba and even accompanied her to Raj Bhawan when she staked claim for government formation, was conspicuous for his absence at the swearing-in ceremony. This is despite the fact that his sister-in-law Asiya was sworn-in.
9. PDP leader and MLA Kreeri, Syed Basharat Bukhari took oath of office as a minister in Kashmiri language. He was the only Kashmiri minister to take oath in his mother tongue.
10. Mehbooba Mufti, on the other hand, took oath in Urdu, which is the official language of Jammu and Kashmir.