Mehbooba arrives in Raj Bhawan to stake claim to power

Jammu, March 26 (IANS) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday arrived at the Raj Bhawan here to stake claim to power in Jammu and Kashmir.

The PDP president is accompanied by senior party leader and Lok Sabha member Muzaffar Hussain Beigh.

BJP leader of the state legislature party and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh also arrived at the Raj Bhawan.

The PDP president was elected as leader of the legislature party by the party MLAs on Thursday to pave way for her to stake claim to power.

The PDP and BJP had sought a joint appointment with Governor N.N.Vohra on Saturday so that Mehbooba Mufti hands over her claim letter to Vohra and the same is supported by the BJP in another letter which is with Nirmal Singh, sources said.

The PDP has 27 MLAs (it had 28 before Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s death) and the party has support of one independent MLA from the Ladakh region.

The BJP has 25 MLAs and support of three others, two from the Peoples Conference and one independent.

The total strength of state legislative assembly is 87.

Jammu and Kashmir was placed under governor’s rule on January 8, a day after then chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi.