In another jolt for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), senior leader and former minister Javaid Mustafa Mir has resigned from the party.
Mir, who represented the Chadoora assembly constituency in central Kashmir's Budgam district for three successive terms from 2002, said the resignation was his "personal decision".
"I have resigned from the PDP. It is my personal decision and I will not speak anything more on this at this moment," he said on Saturday.
He did not divulge his future plans.
Mir was inducted as revenue minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP government in 2015.
However, he was dropped from the cabinet when Mehbooba Mufti assumed office in April 2016 after her father's death.
This led to the growing differences between Mir and the party leadership. He has been critical of the PDP's role in the coalition government ever since.
Mir was inducted into the cabinet again in December 2017.
The Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has been facing a rebellion since BJP withdrew support to the party in Jammu and Kashmir in June last year.
A section of PDP leaders have revolted against Mehbooba Mufti's leadership, accusing her of nepotism and favouritism.
Prominent among those who openly rebelled against the PDP chief were influential Shia leader Imran Ansari, his uncle Abid Ansari, former MLAs Tangmarg Mohammad Abbas Wani and Baramulla Javaid Beigh and MLCs Yasir Reshi and Saifuddin Bhat.
Several leaders have since left the party with former finance minister Haseeb Drabu, former law minister Basharat Bukhari and Peer Mohammad Hussain being the notable ones.
Bukhari and Hussain joined PDP's arch rival National Conference.
Other middle and lower rung leaders have also deserted the party, months before the assembly polls are due in Jammu and Kashmir.
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