Farooq Abdullah, veteran leader of the National Conference (NC), announced that his son, Omar Abdullah, will be the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, as the Congress-NC alliance surged ahead in the Union territory’s assembly elections. This marks the first such election in 10 years.
Speaking in Srinagar, Farooq Abdullah said, “The people have given their mandate to us after 10 years. It will not be ‘police raj’ but a public-focused government. We will work towards releasing innocent people from jail and ensuring media freedom. Our priority is to rebuild trust between Hindus and Muslims.”
He also expressed hope that the partners in the INDIA alliance would support NC’s efforts to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, which lost its special status in 2019. When asked who would lead the government, Farooq declared, “Omar Abdullah banega Chief Minister.”
The Congress-NC alliance is currently leading in 52 of the 90 seats, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 46. The BJP is ahead in 27 seats, while Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is expected to win just two seats, according to early trends.
