New Delhi, December 30
It’s official now. National Conference president Omar Abdullah would be heading the next coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, with the support of the Congress.
AICC president Sonia Gandhi today okayed the power sharing formula in which the two parties would be “equal partners”. After meeting Gandhi, Omar made public the Congress-NC alliance. “The NC and Congress will form a coalition government in J&K. And it has been decided that I will lead the government,” he said.
Omar said the Congress would be a part of the government. “It will be a government of equal partnership…both the parties will have equal stake in development and improvement of Jammu and Kashmir,” the 38-year-old NC leader said.
From the Congress side, Prithiviraj Chavan, party’s in charge for J&K, said: “Omar called on the Congress president and proposed formation of a coalition government, which has been accepted.”
Omar maintained that the best way to give good governance to the people of the state would had been an alliance between the NC and the Congress, as it would not have required assistance from any other
party.
However, he said nothing had been decided as far as other modalities regarding formulation of the government were concerned. “I called on the Congress president… We agreed that the Congress and the NC were the only two parties which could form a clean government without any outside support. Besides, no other discussion took place. A committee will be formed by both the parties to work out other modalities,” he added.
Though no formal decision has taken place, Congress sources say in the new coalition the three-year power sharing arrangement that the party earlier had with the PDP was not likely to be followed. And as the CM hailed from the valley, the Deputy CM would, in all likelihood, be from Jammu, they said.
The NC-Congress combine has 45 seats, one seat more that the number required for a majority in a house of 87. The Congress and the NC were part of an alliance in the state in 1987 as well.
On as to when would he take oath, Omar said it would be decided only after a meeting with Governor NN Vohra in Jammu.
Earlier, the Congress’ Core Committee met at PM Manmohan Singh’s residence. Among those who attended the meeting included former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister Saifuddin Soz and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
