Mehbooba Mufti re-elected as PDP chief a sixth time

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was on Thursday unanimously re-elected president of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) for a three-year term.

A PDP spokesman said that the party's general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura proposed the name of Ms. Mufti for the post of president, which was seconded by another senior leader and former minister Abdul Gaffar Sofi. All the members of the electoral college supported the nomination through a voice vote.

The spokesman added that the election process was held simultaneously in winter capital Jammu, which was connected to the Srinagar headquarters of the party via a video link.
Ms. Mufti took over as the president of the PDP first time in 2003. The party was  launched by her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in 1999 after resigning from the Congress party.

While speaking to the party workers virtually after her re-election, 64-year-old Ms. Mufti said, "Today is the anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir's accession to the Union of India. I want to tell them (BJP) that we had in 1947 acceded to the idea of India where our identity will be protected. You have weakened that accession. You will realise this in time to come."

She added,  "I also want to say that you will have to return everything taken from us with interest, starting from what was snatched on August 5, 2019."

She also virtually launched the PDP's campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by asking the party cadre to start work right away to strengthen the organisation.

“Elections are not everything but these elections are important to get our strength back. Parliament elections are coming and you should get down to work right away. The PDP has to repeat its performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections if you want to pay tributes to its founder Mufti Sahab.”