and franchise commissioner. The process of elections was highly irregular. All the 43 seats allocated to Kashmir went to the National Conference candidates, who were elected unopposed a week before the date of the elections. In Jammu, 13 candidates belonging to the Jammu Praja Parishad had their nominations rejected. Praja Parishad then boycotted the elections, alleging the Government's illegal practices and official interference. Two independent candidates dropped out at the last moment, giving a clean sweep to the National Conference. In Ladakh, the Head Lama, Kushak Bakula and an associate won seats, as nominal members of the National Conference. Thus, the National Conference won all the 75 seats to the Constituent Assembly, which convened on 31 October 1951. Scholar Sumantra Bose states that the manner of elections indicated that the National Conference elites wanted to govern Jammu and Kashmir as a party state. Their slogan was "One Leader, One Party, One Programme". Balraj Puri, journalist and secular activist from Jammu, is said to have argued with Jawaharlal Nehru that Ghulam Mohiuddin Karra's group in the Kashmir Valley should be allowed to function as an opposition group in the state. While Nehru agreed with the principle he stated that nothing should be done to weaken Sheikh Abdullah. The Jammu Praja Parishad, having been denied opportunities for the democratic opposition, took to the streets. It demanded full integration of the state with India to ensure the "legitimate democratic rights of the people" against the "anti-Dogra government of Sheikh Abdullah". The conflict with the Praja Parishad eventually led to the termination of Sheikh Abdullah's rule. Government formation Sheikh Abdullah ministry Sheikh Abdullah continued as the Prime Minister of the State. Two members of the erstwhile Cabinet from the Jammu province, Sardar Budh Singh and Pir Mohammad Khan were dropped. Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq stepped down from his Cabinet duties to serve as the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. The remaining members of the Cabinet were: Sheikh Abdullah – Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad – Deputy Prime Minister Mirza Afzal Beg Shyam Lal Saraf Girdhari Lal Dogra Later D. P. Dhar, Mubarak Shah, Major Piara Singh and Ghulam Mohiuddin Hamdani were appointed as Deputy Ministers. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad ministry Following intense frictions with the Jammu Praja Parishad in Jammu and the Head Lama Kushak Bakula of Ladakh, as well as ongoing frictions with the Union government, Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed from the post of Prime