Mehbooba Mufti was shy of politics initially

Srinagar: Mehbooba Mufti, born on May 22, 1959, will be the first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In the 87-member J&K Assembly PDP won 28 seats and BJP 25 while opposition National Conference got 15 and Congress 12 in 2014 elections. Her father and PDP patron Mufti Sayeed took over as CM at the head of PDP-BJP coalition government on March 1, 2015 and died in office early Thursday.

After earning her law degree from the University of Kashmir in 1980s, she remained uninvolved in public life and dedicated her time in bringing up two infant daughters, Iltija and Irtiqa. She later divorced from her husband, who went on to pursue an independent political career.

However, she would soon be seen with her father at rallies and after formerly joining active politics successfully contested the election to the State Assembly as Congress candidate from her home segment of Bijbehara in 1996.

In July the father-daughter duo along with some key associated floated their own regional party PDP after quitting Congress. In 2002 Assembly elections, PDP bagged 16 seats and Sayeed for the first time became CM with the support of Congress and some independent MLAs. In 2004, she contested and won her first Lok Sabha election. In 2008, she contested and was returned as MLA from Wachi segment of Shopian in south Kashmir when PDP bagged 21 seats but lost power to NC-Congress coalition.