PDP-BJP govt under Mehbooba soon in J&K

BJP legislators elected former deputy CM Nirmal Singh as their legislature party leader

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators on Friday unanimously decided to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir with coalition partner Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), and extended support to the latter's chief ministerial candidate Mehbooba Mufti. PDP legislators had elected Mehbooba as their leader on Thursday.

BJP legislators also elected former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh as their legislature party leader. He will again be the BJP candidate for the deputy chief minister. BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said, "Together, we will approach the governor and stake claim for formation of the government very soon."

The BJP will now have a meeting with the PDP before the two parties together meet the Governor, Madhav said. Union minister Jitendra Singh, who attended the meeting, said that there were no differences between the coalition partners BJP and PDP.

According to sources, the BJP has demanded key portfolios like finance and planning, and minister of state for home affairs. These important portfolios, particularly finance and planning, were with PDP ministers in the Mufti Mohammed Sayeed government. Sayeed himself was the incharge of the planning portfolio.