India's ruling Hindu nationalist party will for the first time govern the country's only Muslim-majority state of held Kashmir under a power-sharing deal with another party, officials said Tuesday. After months of negotiations following an election in December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the regional rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have agreed to form a coalition government in the state.
BJP president Amit Shah announced the deal after meeting PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in New Delhi, saying the two parties had resolved most of their differences. "In a few days, Jammu and Kashmir will have a BJP and PDP alliance government," Shah told reporters.