As the nation’s attention is riveted on Bihar polls, the strife torn state of Jammu and Kashmir sits atop a tinder box that threatens to explode at any time. Even as Jammu shuts down in protest against a “beef party” organised by maverick independent MLA, Engineer Rashid, Kashmir goes on a “bandh” protesting against the vicious attack on truckers from the Valley in Udhampur, a district of the Jammu region. This clearly demonstrates that the ruling alliance of the Valley-centric PDP and the Jammu-based BJP is not functioning as a cohesive unit and on the question of communal and regional interests both these parties seem to be pulling in opposite direction. Adding to this is the recent admission by the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to a prominent English daily, that decks had been cleared with BJP having agreed to install his daughter, Mahbooba Mufti, as his replacement and the new Chief Minister in Jammu and Kashmir. This rare admission on the part of the Chief Minister has again brought the question of the stability of the current Government to the fore. The BJP may have agreed to replacing the aging Mufti with his daughter, but doubts are being expressed about the ability of Mahbooba Mufti to lead the coalition in the state. As it is, a sizeable section within the PDP is not happy with the current situation in the party and are preparing for an eventual revolt in when the opportune time comes. As long as the senior Mufti is in power the dissidents will lie low, but in case of a transformation at the top the fissures within PDP will come out in the open. The dissidents in PDP have been constantly questioning the rationale behind the alliance that their party has with the BJP. Earlier, these voices that had been muted, but following the recent communal polarisation between Jammu and Kashmir on the issue of beef consumption, these dissidents have been voicing their reservations openly. A case in point is the recent statements of Tariq Hameed Karra, PDP Member of Parliament from the Srinagar constituency who defeated Dr Farooq Abdullah and earned the sobriquet of a “Giant Killer”. Karra whose apprehensions about the alliance had been muted earlier, has recently after the beef incident has vehemently criticised his party’s alliance with the BJP. The other senior leader in PDP, who is credited to be one of the founders of the party, Muzzafar Baig, has also maintained a stony silence and is reported to be unhappy with the leadership. It might be recalled that both Karra and Baig long with Mahbooba Mufti are Members of Parliament and in the early days of the alliance it was felt that the PDP would join the Government at Delhi and one of these two, Karra or Baig would find a place in the Centre. But, the stand of Mufti Sayeed that the PDP-BJP alliance was restricted to the state only and not the Centre put paid to the ministerial ambitions of both. On the other hand, the situation with their alliance partners in Jammu, BJP is also not that rosy. After winning a record number of 25 seats in the Jammu division, BJP has lost support in a big way and also its traditional support base. Moreover, older members are not happy with the party for having jettisoned its stand on Article 370 and on its pre-electoral promise of providing a Chief Minster from the Jammu region. In Jammu its supporters are upset with the party as they feel that the BJP ministers in the coalition government have overlooked the interests of Jammu region and have allowed the PDP to run its Kashmir first agenda. A case in point was the massive agitation in Jammu over the question of the grant of a branch of AIIMS to Kashmir valley. Also some of the old guard of the party are also not happy with the state of affairs as they feel that the current BJP leadership at the national level has completely ignored them. Even the RSS that has played a major role in the rise of the BJP in the state is not completely on the same page as its fraternal outfit, the BJP, as far as a number of decisions that the Government in the State as well as the Centre has taken regarding Jammu and Kashmir. It might be recalled that the RSS has not completely given up its agenda of abrogating the Article 370 and currently it has through one of its front organisations, “Jammu and Kashmir Vichar Manch” filed a petition challenging Article 35 (A) of the Indian Constitution. Even as the ruling alliance seems to be negotiating through troubled waters, the separatist elements have had a field day and they with active support from Pakistan have been expanding their base in the Valley. Also terrorism that had virtually disappeared from Kashmir, is once again rearing its head and intelligence reports have suggested that the current situation is worse than 1990 and that a number of Kashmiri youth are once again being attracted to the gun. One of the biggest examples of this new phenomena are the videos posted by a gun toting Kashmiri militant named Burhan, urging Kashmiri youth to pick up the gun once again. These videos incidentally have gone viral in the Valley.