National Conference MLAs to pick legislature party leader tomorrow, says Omar Abdullah
The newly-elected legislators of the National Conference (NC) will meet on Thursday to elect their legislator party leader, NC vice president Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday, a day after vote counting for the Jammu and Kashmir elections was held.
The legislature party will meet tomorrow at 12:30pm to elect their leader,” PTI quoted Abdullah as saying.
He added, “Then, there will be a meeting of the alliance partners to elect their leader in the House. Then, we will go to the Raj Bhavan to stake the claim for government formation and ask the lieutenant governor to fix a time for swearing in. I hope the new government is in place in the next few days.”
Of the total 90 assembly seats in the Union territory, the National Conference contested 51 and gave 32 to its ally, the Congress, while one each was given to CPI(M) and the Panthers Party.
On five seats, the two senior partners had a ‘friendly’ contest.
With 42 wins, including from two seats for Omar Abdullah, National Conference emerged as the single-largest party, followed by the BJP (29), according to the Election Commission.
With the Congress winning six seats and the CPI(M) securing the only one given to it, the alliance won 49 seats, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 46.
A former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah is likely to be made the legislature party leader of both the NC and the alliance, which would elevate him to chief ministership again.
For its first assembly polls in a decade, Jammu and Kashmir polled on September 18, 25, and October 1.
This election is seen as pivotal in Jammu and Kashmir’s political future, especially as NC leaders reaffirm their commitment to addressing key issues like restoring the Union Territory’s statehood, a topic Omar Abdullah mentioned will be raised in the new government’s first cabinet meeting.
