Srinagar, Oct 10: National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah Thursday was unanimously elected as the Legislature Party Leader (LPL), positioning him as the next Chief Minister of UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
The decision was made during a meeting of the newly-elected NC legislators in Srinagar, during which Omar’s election as Legislature Party Leader (LPL) was approved.
Speaking to the media at the party’s Nawa-e-Subh headquarters in Srinagar, Omar expressed his gratitude to the NC legislators for electing him as their leader. “We have also gained the support of four Independent MLAs, and we are awaiting a formal letter from our alliance partner Congress to stake a claim for government formation,” he said. Once the letter is received, Omar plans to meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to schedule a date for the formation of the government.
NC President Dr.Farooq Abdullah confirmed his son Omar’s election as LPL but declined to provide additional details due to the media presence. Senior NC leader and MLA Ali Mohammed Sagar announced the unanimous decision, stating, “Omar Abdullah has been elected as Legislature Party Leader, and he will soon take the reins of the government as the next Chief Minister.”
A senior NC leader present at the meeting remarked that Omar’s election as LPL firmly establishes him as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Party leadership is expected to meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha within the next two days to formally stake the claim for government formation. A meeting between the JKNC delegation, Congress leaders, and the Lieutenant Governor is expected to take place on Sunday or Monday.
During the meeting, all newly elected NC members reaffirmed their commitment to unity and pledged to work for the public’s welfare, honoring the trust placed in them by voters. Party sources confirmed that the NC-Congress alliance will convene a joint meeting on Friday to officially select Omar Abdullah as the leader of the alliance and Chief Ministerial candidate for the new government.
J&K Congress chief Tariq Karra is said to have traveled to New Delhi to brief the Congress high command on the latest developments and present the list of legislators set to be part of the new 10-member cabinet. The alliance includes the support of four Independent MLAs—PyareLal Sharma, Satish Sharma, Choudhary Mohammed Akram, and Dr.Rameshwar Singh—who won seats in Inderwal, Chhamb, Surankote, and Bani, respectively.
Omar Abdullah will serve as Chief Minister with the narrow backing of Congress and independent legislators, despite his party holding a majority of 42 seats in the 90-member Assembly. This will mark his second term as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, though this time he will be leading a Union Territory.
In the 90-member Assembly, the National Conference secured 42 seats in the recent election. The INDIA bloc has a tally of 49.
