Though a very good number of seats are reserved for nomination of the literarians, social activists and cultural personalities of repute to the legislative council but the incumbent PDP-BJP coalition government under the leadership of both late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and as well as Mehbooba Mufti the incumbent Chief Minister nominated retired government officials facing trial on corruption charges in premier investigative agencies of the state government and defeated candidates of previous assembly elections owing allegiance to both PDP and BJP for the legislative council seats reserved for the literarians, social activists and cultural personalities of repute. Recently Vikramadatiya Singh the son of Dr Karan Singh former Sadr e Reyasat (President of the state) and top Congress leader resigned both from the primary membership of PDP and as well as the legislative council (LC) and people hoped that this time Mehbooba government would prefer either a literarian or a social activist of repute over any of her party leaders . However reports about Chief Minister recommending her own brother for the council seat vacated by the resignation of Vikramadatiya Singh speaks volumes about PDP’s intents of promoting dynasty politics and BJP’s questionable deviation from commitment to fight dynasty politics in Jammu & Kashmir state. Ironically the main opposition National Conference itself the trend setter of the promotion of dynasty politics has asked BJP the ally of PDP in Mehbooba led coalition government to explain the reasons for its deviation from the party’s commitment to fight dynasty politics in Jammu & Kashmir state. Though BJP owes an explanation to the people in the rest of the country for projecting children of several top central leaders of the party both in the state assemblies and as well as the parliament but National Conference itself a proponent of dynasty politics has no moral right to call for explanations on dynasty politics from other political parties.
The arrangement designed for the induction of Tasaduq Mufti into both the legislative council and as well as council of ministers marks a new chapter in the dynasty politics in Jammu & Kashmir state.
So while the three major mainstream political parties National Conference, BJP and Congress are themselves the proponents of dynasty politics both within and outside Jammu & Kashmir state, the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Chief Minister Mehbooba has broken all the previous records on promotion of dynasty by choosing to recommend the Chief Minister’s brother Tasaduq Mufti for the council seat vacated by the resignation of yet another product of dynasty politics Vikramdatiya Singh the son of former Sadr e Reyasat (President of the state and top Congress leader Dr Karan Singh. Interestingly the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) controlled by the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti herself as party President and her maternal uncle Sartaj Madni a defeated candidate of 2014 assembly elections as vice president now plans to strengthen the control of Muftis’ over the government by proposing the nomination of Tasaduq Mufti to the legislative council just to ensure his induction into the PDP-BJP coalition ministry for taking charge of key portfolio held by Chief Minister herself for last two years. The arrangement designed for the induction of Tasaduq Mufti into both the legislative council and as well as council of ministers marks a new chapter in the dynasty politics in Jammu & Kashmir state.
