Of late, polarising narratives have dominated headlines from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Last week, BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa described residents from the Kashmir Valley as “land grabbers” who had illegally occupied land in Jammu. But with Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo from Kishtwar winning the Rajya Sabha elections, that gap was filled too. Mr. Choudhary became the first Hindu Deputy Chief Minister from the Pir Panjal Valley and also the first without a coalition government in place. If not for numerical necessity, it was the compulsion of inclusive politics that led the government to allocate two Cabinet berths to the Pir Panjal Valley.

Source: The Hindu February 17, 2026 02:28 UTC