Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti was re-elected president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the fifth consecutive term, reaffirming her leadership within the party.

Her re-election is being seen as a renewed expression of confidence in her leadership at a time when the PDP is grappling with organisational challenges and a changing political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir.

The political situation in Jammu and Kashmir has undergone significant changes since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state in 2019. Issues such as the restoration of statehood, constitutional rights, employment opportunities and protection of regional identity continue to dominate the political discourse.

Mehbooba Mufti has remained vocal in her criticism of the Central Government’s policies and has consistently raised concerns over the political future of Jammu and Kashmir.

At the party’s foundation day celebrations in Srinagar on November 2, she accused the National Conference (NC) of compromising on the political interests and autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir. She also stressed the need for meaningful dialogue between the Central Government and the people of the Union Territory.

The PDP had formed a coalition government with the BJP in 2015, with Mehbooba Mufti taking over as Chief Minister in April 2016 following the death of her father and then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. However, the alliance collapsed in June 2018 after the BJP withdrew its support, bringing her government to an end.

At the age of 57, Mehbooba became the first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. She remained in office until June 2018, when the PDP-BJP coalition government fell.

Following the collapse of the alliance government, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—on October 31, 2019.

After the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 on August 5, 2019, Mehbooba was detained under the Public Safety Act and remained in custody for over a year. However, the challenges confronting her in her renewed stint as PDP president are considerably greater than before.

The party has suffered a series of setbacks since losing power in 2018, with several senior leaders deserting it. Rebuilding its organisational structure, regaining political relevance and mobilising its cadre will be among her major challenges.

A law graduate, Mehbooba entered mainstream politics in 1996 by joining the Congress along with her father, at a time when militancy was at its peak in the erstwhile state.

She gradually emerged from the shadow of her illustrious father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who founded the PDP in 1999, and went on to become the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 2016.

The Peoples Democratic Party was established in 1999 by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as a regional alternative to the National Conference. Over the years, the party grew in strength, attracting several political stalwarts, besides technocrats and bureaucrats who joined it after retiring from government service.

With her re-election for a fifth consecutive term, Mehbooba Mufti will now have the responsibility of revitalising the party, strengthening its organisational network, winning back the confidence of its workers and carving out a distinct political space amid the evolving political dynamics of Jammu and Kashmir.