Mufti to be sworn in as Kashmir CM Sunday, Modi to attend

PDP patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed will be sworn in as the new chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sunday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Peoples Democratic Party patron will be heading a coalition government in the state for the second time.

In 2002, he led a PDP-Congress alliance and was 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 Bharatiya Janata Party.

Modi will arrive here Sunday morning to attend the swearing-in ceremony at the General Zorawar Singh Auditorium of Jammu University.

Some union ministers, BJP president Amit Shah and chief ministers of neighbouring Haryana and Punjab are scheduled to attend the ceremony to be held at 11 a.m.

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.

Sayeed's party and the BJP with 28 and 25 members, respectively, in the 87-member assembly, took over two months after the elections in the state to stitch an alliance.

After leaders of both parties worked out the details of the common minimum programme, a meeting of Sayeed and Modi sealed the deal.

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.

Security has been tightened around Jammu University and the venue inside the university has been taken over by the Special Protection Group (SPG).

All entry points into Jammu city have been sealed and barricades put up at many places. No vehicle is being allowed to enter the city without checking by specially trained squads and without thorough frisking of the occupants. - IANS