Omar Abdullah is in discussions with Congress over their potential support for his bid to become the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. On Friday, Abdullah confirmed that he had reached out to Congress for their backing before approaching the governor. The talks come after the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) legislators unanimously chose him as the leader of their Legislative Party on Thursday, paving the way for him to stake his claim to form the government.
In addition to the Congress support, four independent candidates have aligned with the JKNC, allowing the party to secure a majority on its own. Farooq Abdullah, Omar’s father and the president of the JKNC, praised the party’s decision, stating that all legislators backed Omar as their leader. Following the announcement, Omar expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am deeply thankful to the National Conference legislators for placing their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to approach the governor to form the government.”
The discussions follow the success of the INDIA alliance in the Union Territory’s elections, which marked the first legislative assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade. The JKNC emerged as the largest party with 42 seats, while its allies, Congress and CPI (M), won a combined total of 7 seats, giving the alliance 49 seats. The BJP, with 29 seats, became the second-largest party.
Omar Abdullah reiterated his stance that the people of Jammu and Kashmir want the statehood restored, expressing discontent with the abrogation of Article 370. He clarified, however, that he doesn’t see any point in pressing the current Modi-led government on the issue, as they were the ones to revoke it. He plans to revisit the topic if and when the opposition comes to power at the national level.
