Miss Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People's Democratic Party, has welcomed the congress party's decision to install Gulam Nabi Aazd as the new chief minister of the state. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is expected to tender his resignation to the governor Lieutenant General S K Sinha either later on Friday or on Saturday.

"We are happy that the congress party has taken a decision and we would abide by our agreement which allowed Mufti Sahib first term in the office as the chief minister for three years. Now it is the turn of the congress party," said Mehbooba Mufti on phone from Srinagar [Images].

When asked who the deputy chief ministerial candidate from the party would be, she said, "This is something on which the party has to decide. We have several people who can take over the responsibility."  She said that she would go by the party's decision in case it decided that she should take over the responsibility.

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Pressure is already building up within the party in favour of Miss Mufti taking up the role of deputy chief minister in the absence of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. But that leaves the question of who would be the party president in case she switches over to state administration.

Nobody in the PDP is willing to say whether she will interchange roles with Mufti. Mufti, according to PDP sources, was offered a place in the union cabinet by Mrs Sonia Gandhi [Images] but declined the offer.