No rotation of CM post in J&K

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will get a full six-year term as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will get a full six-year term as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He is to be sworn in on January 5. Though expected, the formal statement came not from the alliance partner, Congress, but from Abdullah who ruled out a rotation of the CM’s post.

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“The rotation issue did come up during discussions. But Congress president Sonia Gandhi was kind enough to understand that rotation was damaging to the state and created uncertainty, confusion and instability. There was no disagreement of any sort,’’ Abdullah told mediapersons on Thursday.

Sonia would attend the ceremony during which Abdullah and a five-member ministerial team, which will include three from the Congress, would be sworn in. But her party is yet to identify a non-Muslim from the Jammu region for the deputy chief minister’s post after Abdullah reportedly conveyed that he didn’t want any tainted members in his team.

“I won’t comment on internal discussions. I’ve made my recommendations to the Congress which, I’m sure, will give it a serious consideration,’’ he said.

At a meeting at Union Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office on Friday, the Congress and NC decided on “an equal’’ representation in the government. Besides the home ministry, customarily with the CM, the NC wants to keep finance and planning.