Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday sought a decisive mandate from people ahead of a by-election in south Kahsmir’s Anantnag constituency.
The state’s first woman chief minister reiterated her Peoples Democratic Party’s resolve to lift the state from the morass of political and economic uncertainties.
“We have started picking up the threads from where we left in 2005 to revive the process of political reconciliation...,” Mufti said while addressing a series of roadside election meetings in Anantnag.
She needs to win the by-election to become a member of the state assembly.
Mufti said the people of the state, more than ever before, want politicians to stand up and address the political and economic issues: “They want leadership, they want commitment, they want accountability...”
“If you want a change of direction, not just a change of government, the PDP is the only alternative.” 
The 56-year-old daughter of later chief minister Mufti Mohamed Sayeed said her government’s focus is on skills development, agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts and tourism sectors which are the mainstay of the state’s economy.
“Various multilateral institutions and major corporate houses have been roped in to build and fine-tune the infrastructure in these key sectors to achieve the desired levels of growth,” she said adding that infrastructure building in agriculture, horticulture, tourism and handicraft sectors would not only give a fillip to the State’s economy but would help create more job opportunities for the local youth by fully harnessing their enterprising skills.