New Delhi: Just after Congress-National Conference and Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) shoed willingness to form a government in the hilly state, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik dissolved the state assembly as news agency ANI reported. Governer Malik took decision to dissolve the state assembly shortly after former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti wrote to Raj Bhavan staking a claim soon to form the government, in coalition with Congress and the National Conference. JKPC chairman Sajjad Lone also claimed a stake to form a government.

Later on Mufti took to Twitter and claimed that her letter to the governor was not received by Raj Bhavan owing to a defective fax machine. The governor's decision essentially means that the assembly will hang about in a state of suspended animation and a government formation will be doable only post reelection.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also took to Twitter and asked the timing of the decision to dissolve the assembly. "JKNC has been pressing for assembly dissolution for 5 months now. It can’t be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba letter staking claim the order to dissolve the assembly suddenly appears," he tweeted.

 Abdullah also attacked at the Raj Bhavan over Mufti's claims and stated that it was high time the Governor's office got a 'new fax machine'.

In a press statement, the Governor's Secretariat stated that the Governor has passed the order 'in exercise of powers conferred upon him by clause (b) of subsection (2) of section 53 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir dissolving the Legislative Assembly.'