Cong Unlikely To Extend Mufti's Tenure

NEW DELHI - As the date draws nearer for Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to hand over the baton to a leader from alliance partner Congress, the party today sought to put an end to all speculation by indicating that the PDP leader would not be asked to continue.

Virtually putting at rest speculation that Congress might not be willing to take over the reins of the government after three years in November as per an agreement between the two coalition partners, a senior leader said the party would suffer if did it.

“It will not go down well in the party," the leader close to J&K affairs said when asked whether the Congress would let Sayeed continue for remaining three years of six year term as has been suggested by some reports.

When the two parties forged post-poll alliance to form government in November 2002, they had agreed that one party would lead the coalition for three years and the other for rest of the term.Congress, with 20 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly, had then allowed junior partner PDP, with 17 MLAs, to lead the alliance in the first phase. The Deputy Chief Minister was from Congress for the first three years and from PDP for the remaining tenure.

Although some sections in the Congress are believed to be inclined to allow Sayeed to continue, the state unit of the Congress strongly disfavours any reunification move.

The state unit feels it was the much-awaited opportunity for the Congress to have its own Chief Minister and it should not be allowed to fizzle away.

On the question of whether the Congress had an appropriate leader to become Chief Minister, the party leader said there would be no problem on this count. The Congress leader, however dismissed possibility of Mohammad Shafi Qureshi or Saifuddin Soz be given the charge as had been reported in some sections of media.

The disadvantage with Soz's candidature is that he has joined the Congress only three years back after being expelled from National Conference. Qureshi also has been out of the party for a long time.