Omar set to be CM, 4 Ind MLAs extend support
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah is set to be the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as his MLAs on Thursday unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader.
The newly elected National Conference (NC) MLAs met at the party headquarters in Srinagar and reposed faith in Omar, who won from both constituencies he contested in the Valley — Budgam and Ganderbal. He was first elected the CM of the erstwhile J&K state in 2009 at the age of 38.
Majority minus cong
- With the support of 4 Independent MLAs, NC touches magic mark of 46 on its own
- NC allies Congress and CPM have 6 and 1 seats, taking the winning coalition’s tally to 53
- Before staking claim to form the govt, NC to meet its allies Congress and CPM on Friday
In another significant development, four of the seven Independent MLAs have extended support to the NC, which had emerged as the single-largest party with 42 legislators, helping it reach the magic mark of 46 on its own. The NC had fought the election in an alliance with the Congress and the CPM, the two parties securing six and one seat, respectively. The coalition now has 53 MLAs in the 90-member Assembly. The BJP won 29 seats, PDP three while one each went to the People’s Conference and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Omar said the NC was in touch with the Congress and as soon as it received the letter of support, they would meet J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to stake claim to form the government. “Party chief Farooq Abdullah presided over the legislature party meeting. The elected members unanimously chose vice-president Omar Abdullah as their CM candidate,” the NC said in a statement.
