Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was on Thursday unanimously re-elected as the party president during a meeting of the party’s Electoral College in Srinagar.
The election process saw a single proposal for the top post. Senior party leader Abdul Rehman Veeri proposed Mehbooba Mufti’s name for another term, and the proposal was seconded by senior leader Khursheed Alam, who urged members of the Electoral College to extend their wholehearted support.
The presiding officer then sought the opinion of the members and asked whether anyone else wished to contest. With no other candidate coming forward, Mehbooba Mufti’s candidature was unanimously approved through a show of hands. The members later signed the proposal papers individually, completing the formal election process.
Mehbooba Mufti, a former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has led the PDP since the death of her father and party founder, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in 2016. The party has since gone through a turbulent period that included the fallout from the 2019 constitutional changes, the departure of several senior leaders and electoral setbacks, and it has been seeking to rebuild its organisation and its position in Kashmir’s politics.
A unanimous re-election is a typical outcome in organisational polls of regional parties, where the incumbent often faces no contest, and it allows the leadership to project unity. For the PDP, which has faced questions about its political standing in recent years, the outcome signals continued consolidation behind its president.
The development comes at a time of sharp rhetoric between the Valley’s political formations. Earlier this week, Mehbooba Mufti addressed a PDP rally at Municipal Park in Srinagar and criticised the National Conference leadership, drawing a strong response from the Awami Itihaad Party. The party’s organisational election also coincides with turbulence inside the NC, adding to the competitive atmosphere among regional parties.
The statement on the election did not mention any specific plans for the new term, nor did it name office-bearers for other positions. Observers expect the party to use the renewed mandate to push its political agenda, which has centred on issues such as statehood, constitutional rights and the release of political prisoners, and to step up its outreach ahead of future electoral contests.
Mehbooba Mufti is expected to address the party’s members and workers on the priorities for her new term in due course.
