The first Women Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from an ordinary village girl next door to the most sought after politician People Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti. Mahbooba who hold the record of not losing any election from south Kashmir either in the assembly or the Parliament. However, she lost a Parliamentary election in 1999 contested against Omar Abdullah.
A hesitant politician initially, she plunged into electoral fray in 1996 from her home constituency of Bijbhera on the instance of her father who was then the tallest Congress leader of J&K.
Mufti was finding it difficult to have able and winnable candidates to challenge National Conference in 1996, when the assembly elections were held first time after six years of bloodied militancy.
It was sheer luck for Mehbooba to plunge into politics as Mufti wanted his son Tasaduq to contest the polls. Since Tasaduq was underage, Mufti picked Mehbooba from Bijbhera seat while his wife Gulshan was nominated from Pahalgam constituency.
Mufti married her cousinJavid Iqbal Shah with whome she divorced in 1987, and she moved to her father’s home and raised her two daughter Iltija Javid and Irtiqa Javed single handly.
Even her arch political rival and former chief Omar Abdullah was quick to congratulate her for being elected the leader of PDP legislature party. "Congratulations to Mehbooba Mufti sahiba on being elected as the leader of the @jkpdp legislative party. I wish her well for the future", Omar tweeted.
Later he tweeted that, "God help J&K if Mehbooba as CM is going to be as indecisive as she has been as Party President over the last 2 1/2 months", he tweeted.