Afternoon Call From Governor Vohra Took Mehbooba by Surprise, Ended Her CM Tenure

Srinagar: Mehbooba Mufti's tenure as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister came to an abrupt end on Tuesday with a call from Governor N N Vohra, who informed her that the BJP had pulled out of its alliance with the PDP, officials said.

It was a working day just as any other for Mehbooba, who was in her office in the civil secretariat when Chief Secretary B B Vyas received the phone call that signalled the end of her maiden tenure as chief minister, they said.

According to officials, the governor asked Vyas where the chief minister was and asked him to immediately arrange a call with her.

This was minutes before BJP general secretary Ram Madhav addressed a press conference to announce the party’s decision around 2 pm in the national capital.

Vyas duly arranged the call. The governor, as per officials in the know of developments, informed Mehbooba about the BJP's decision, which was conveyed to him in a letter sent by BJP state president Ravinder Raina along with the resignation letters of the BJP ministers.

Mehbooba, 59, listened to the news in silence, and after a pause said there was no need for talks with the BJP and she would be submitting her resignation, the officials said.

Soon after, Madhav made his announcement in Delhi, ending the uneasy, often fractious alliance between the BJP and the PDP and setting the stage for another round of governor's rule.