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J-K Congress to elect Ghulam Nabi Azad on Nov 1

    New Delhi: The Congress Party unit in Jammu and Kashmir will formally elect Ghulam Nabi Azad as its Legislature Party leader on November 1, a day before Azad is sworn as the new chief minister of the state. This was disclosed by Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed. "The CLP (Congress Legislature Party) will meet on 1st November and elect Azad as its leader," Peerzada told reporters at PCC headquarters at Maulana Azad Road which was thronged by Congress workers from all over the Kashmir Valley to celebrate the party's return to power in the state after 30 years. Sayeed hailed the decision of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi in nominating Azad as the next chief minister of the state. The Congress had last headed the government in the state in 1975 when the then Chief Minister Syed Mir Qasim resigned in February that year to pave the way for Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to take over the reins of the government following an accord between Abdulla and the Centre. Peerzada dismissed reports that his party had differences with PDP on the transfer of power. "The two parties will go together in the larger interests of the unity of the country. The partnership will continue even after change of government," he said. He denied that the Congress legislators and ministers staged a protest in New Delhi to pressurise the party high command. "They were summoned by the party high command for consultations in Delhi," Peerzada said.