Mehbooba Mufti to take oath as J-K CM today

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti will today take oath as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, among many others, will be present during the sworn-in ceremony.The Congress Party is boycotting the swearing-in ceremony.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. at the Raj Bhawan here.

Governor N.N. Vohra will administer oath to Mufti along with her council of ministers.

The Governor yesterday invited Mufti to form and lead the PDP-BJP coalition government in the state.

The PDP president had been seeking assurances from the central government on implementation of agenda of alliance and the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) framed by the two parties last year.

Jammu and Kashmir was put under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after then chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi.

The PDP and the BJP had staked claim for government formation on March 26, two days after Mehbooba was elected as PDP's legislature party leader.

Mehbooba, had earlier met Vohra and staked claim to form the government with the support of 25 MLAs of the BJP. The PDP has 27 MLAs in the 87-member state Assembly.