Mufti Sayeed to be sworn in J&K CM on March 1

Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will be sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir March 1, a top source said here Tuesday.

"Yes, decks have been cleared for Mufti Sahib to be sworn in as the chief minister of the state March 1," a source told IANS. "If all goes on schedule, the PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as chief minister for the full six year term will take over March 1," the source said. Top sources in the PDP told IANS that the swearing in ceremony will be held at the Zorawar Singh memorial auditorium of Jammu University.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti will meet BJP national president Amit Shah in New Delhi Tuesday to give a formal shape to the common minimum programme (CMP) agreed upon between the PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "Mufti Sahib will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week. He will request the prime minister to attend the swearing in ceremony of the PDP-BJP coalition government," the source added.

The names of senior PDP leaders doing the rounds for cabinet ministers posts are Abdul Rehman Veeri, Naeem Akhtar, Haseeb Drabu, Zulfiqar Choudhary, Abdul Haq Khan and Altaf Bukhari. Those likely to be sworn in as BJP cabinet ministers are Nirmal Singh as deputy chief minister, Bali Baghat, Sham Choudhary, Kavinder Gupta, Choudhary lal Singh and Abdul Gani Kohli.

Sources in the BJP said Sajad Gani lone of the People's Conference who announced his support to the BJP is also a hot contender for a ministerial berth in the new state government. The PDP has 28, the BJP 25 and the People's Conference two seats in the 87-member state legislative assembly. A simple majority of 44 is needed to stake claim to power in the state. Jammu and Kashmir was put under governor's rule Jan 8 after no single party or group of political parties came forward to stake claim to power.