Jammu: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed will be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir today in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several top BJP leaders.
The PDP patron will be heading a coalition government in the state for the second time. In 2002, he led a PDP-Congress alliance and was the chief minister for three years. He later handed over the chief minister's mantle to Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress as per the terms of the alliance. After 14 years, Sayeed will be heading another ruling alliance, this time with the BJP.
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Modi will arrive here in morning to attend the swearing-in ceremony at the General Zorawar Singh Auditorium of Jammu University, slated for 11 am.
Union Ministers Jitendra Singh, Smriti Irani, BJP president Amit Shah, senior party leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, party general secretary Ram Madhav, party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal will also attend the oath taking ceremony.
After the oath-taking ceremony, Modi and Sayeed will address a joint press conference, and the common minimum programme between the two parties will be released.
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As per the terms of the alliance, Sayeed would be the chief minister for the full six-year term, while Nirmal Singh of the BJP would be the deputy chief minister.
As per the constitution, Jammu and Kashmir cannot have a council of ministers more than 25, excluding the chief minister.
The PDP had won 28 seats in the 87-member assembly, mostly from Kashmir. The BJP had bagged 25 seats from Jammu and Ladakh. The NC and Congress managed to get only 15 and 12 seats, respectively. Governor's rule was imposed in the state on January 9 after political parties failed to muster the requisite number in the House for staking claim to form government.
