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| Oath after Jan 8 | | Full term for NC; Aslam may be DyCM | | ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
Jammu, Dec 30: Without leaving any room for anxiety after declaration of results, the broad contours of new government have though been shaped up but swearing in of Omar Abdullah cabinet may take another ten days.
The new coalition government led by the National Conference and headed by Omar Abdullah will have Congress has an alliance partner and there is no arrangement of rotation for the seat of the Chief Minister. This is second time that National Conference and Congress coalition is coming together. Earlier they had formed an alliance in 1987 and they had a pre-poll seat sharing pact.
The oath ceremony of new government is not likely to take place before January 8 for two key reasons. The Islamic month of Muharram had begun today and no traditionally no auspicious beginning is made in first ten days of Muharram. Tenth of Muharram falls on January 8 and the swearing in can be anytime after that. National Conference patron Dr Farooq Abdullah too has indicated that the government should be sworn in only after tenth of Muharram.
The immediate task before both Congress and the National Conference at the moment is to give shape to the upcoming Council of Ministers. Both parties, it is learnt, will make in-house committees of senior leaders to discuss the candidates for their induction in Ministry.
Though the modalities of running government and its key features are yet to be discussed between two parties or within the rank of each party, it is learnt that Omar Abdullah government may have two Deputy Chief Ministers. National Conference is categorical in having a Deputy Chief Minister from Jammu region and the Congress too may nominate one of their leaders from Jammu to become to Deputy Chief Minister. This arrangement is likely to give Jammu a Lion’s share in the government.
While Omar’s choice of nominating a Deputy Chief Minister from his party is limited to some obvious faces, the Congress may zero in on its veteran leader and Surankote MLA Choudhary Mohammad Aslam. A formal discussion is yet to take off on this subject but party insiders suggested that Aslam may be the natural choice for the Congress high command for his clean image and the large task ahead for restoring sagging position of party in the region. Another frontrunner could be former Legislative Assembly Speaker Tara Chand who has won third time in a row from Chhamb constituency.
This is going to be a two party coalition government without any support of independents and smaller parties. National Conference has 28 members and the Congress has 17. Put together their 45 member tally is one number above the magic mark required in the House for a stable government. Congress was though clearly in a pre-poll arrangement with Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen (Peoples Democratic Front), Ghulam Hassan Mir (Democratic Party) and Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami (CPIM) but it is not clear yet whether any of them can be accommodated as a Minister.
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