After almost a month's indecision, he decided to be seen as the 'plebeian chief minister' rather than the high-flying one his predecessor, Farooq Abdullah, was. Since the new chief minister will not stay in the palace Abdullah was building, work on the Rs 25 crore project came to a grinding halt and so did Abdullah's dream of a palace on the Dal Lake for the chief minister.

Coordinating intimately with architects, engineers, and builders, Abdullah had planned a 'small, comfortable residence-cum-chief minister's secretariat' on the banks of the picturesque lake. The problem was its cost: a whooping Rs 25 crore (approximately US$ 5.15 million).

"It is planned in the grand Mughal style. The way Emperor Jehangir built himself a pleasure haunt in the shape of the famous Shalimar Gardens, which also overlooks the Dal Lake and has the pristine Zabarwan forests as its backdrop," remarked a political observer.

The Mufti's government has now stopped work on Abdullah's dream house to prevent constructions around the lake. "It was going to be a virtual palace with an auditorium, Cabinet room, private office, guest house, and many other attractive features," a leading Kashmir daily wrote.

Sayeed has no legacy to peg him down to palatial addresses. He belongs to a south Kashmir peasant family, though imparting religious education to villagers had at one time been their occupation. For him, politics, proximity to the people, and a commoner's address are all that matter.

Even if personal security is likely to be compromised somewhat, Sayeed has chosen a moderately comfortable, centrally located house on Maulana Azad Road in the state's winter capital Srinagar as his official residence. This house used to be the residence of Kashmir's most 'common' and 'accessible' chief minister, the late Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. Thousands of locals and those from far-off places in the state came here to seek favours. It was that healing touch and a massive regime of development that endeared Bakshi to Kashmiris, who called him 'Bate Bub' [breadwinner father].

Despite accusations of nepotism and of unleashing corruption in the state, Bakshi carved out an identity in the hearts of Kashmiris. Sayeed, already seen as a healer of wounds, is setting his sights on accountability in politics and civil services, to which Bakshi had turned a blind eye.