Sayeed set to stay as CM

It is now almost certain that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will not be moved from his post anytime soon.

Congress General Secretary Ambika Soni hinted as much, when she told reporters in Chandigarh that the Congress-People's Democratic Alliance (PDP) government in Kashmir was a coalition and that if the leadership was changed, it should not be seen as a "change of guard".

She also said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was yet to decide on whether to replace Sayeed and exercise the option of letting the Congress head the government, or let things stand as they are.

The changeover was, according to the original agreement, scheduled to take place on November 1. This was prior to the earthquake. now, with massive relief and rescue operations underway, it is highly unlikely that a new chief minister will be able to respond to the situation in the same way.

The Congress unit in Kashmir is anxious that it exercise the option of having a chief minister. After years, Congress leaders say, the party has won from Jammu, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This is a good chance to ensure the Abdullah family and the BJP, both are kept at bay.

Sustained work could make the Congress a possible viable political alternative in a sensitive border state that needs a secular force to govern it, Congress leaders say.

But there is no evidence that the only senior leader capable of running the state ""Ghulam Nabi Azad"" is in any mood to leave the Centre. Azad and his family have a death threat hanging over them. The other leaders from the Congress are lightweights.

Although Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma has been insistent that the Congress serve a term to lead the government, he himself can be ruled out both because he is from Jammu and a Hindu.

If nothing else, the earthquake has ensured that stability is maintained in the political set up in Srinagar. Now, it remains to be seen how the Chief Minister tackles his other bete noire, the Governor, Gen SK Sinha, who has been forthright in criticising his administration for corruption and inefficiency.