National Conference’s legislative party will convene on Thursday to choose their leader, with party president Farooq Abdullah stating that his son, Omar Abdullah, will become the first chief minister of the Union Territory. The National Conference became the party with the highest number of seats, totaling 42, in the results of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections announced on Tuesday. The party is in a strong position to lead the government with 49 seats in the 95-member house through its alliance with Congress and CPI(M).
The vice president of the party announced that the National Conference legislature party will hold a meeting tomorrow at 12:30 PM to choose their leader. Omar Abdullah stated that the National Conference legislative party gathering will be succeeded by a meeting with the alliance partners to decide on the leader of the alliance in the House.
Omar Abdullah stated that following this, they will approach the Raj Bhavan to assert their claim for forming the government and request the LG to schedule a time for the swearing-in ceremony, expressing his wish for the new government to be established within the next couple of days.
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah insisted on his authority to select the individual who will lead the government. In response to his son’s comment about the alliance choosing the chief minister, the National Conference leader stated that only his decision will be implemented. Farooq Abdullah stated that the NC-Congress government’s goal is to reduce disparities between the two regions of the Union Territory and to foster trust among Hindus.
In an indirect mention of the BJP, he stated, “We need to reduce the divisions they have caused between Jammu and Kashmir.” We should strive for Hindus in that region to have the same confidence in us as we do for Kashmir.
“We will treat the two equally.” What does it matter if they did not vote (for us). Abdullah told reporters here that it is our responsibility to address their issues. At the same time, Sheikh Abdul Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party criticized Omar Abdullah for not speaking up about the reinstatement of Article 370 following the election win.
A spokesperson of the AIP stated that he seems to be avoiding the main issue of the election campaign and has begun to laud Narendra Modi and his government. During various media appearances on Wednesday, Omar Abdullah stated that expecting the return of Article 370 from those who took it away would be unwise, but his party would persist in bringing attention to the matter.
Our stance in politics will remain unchanged. Abdullah clarified that the party never stated they would stay quiet on Article 370, nor that it is not a concern for them now, when questioned about their stance post government formation. Abdullah added that we will keep discussing this issue and are hopeful for a change in the government tomorrow, so that we can engage with a new administration to secure something for J&K.
Abdullah stated that we will keep discussing this and are optimistic for a new government in the country tomorrow, bringing new opportunities for dialogue regarding J&K. Omar Abdullah stated earlier that the NC-Congress government would adopt a resolution at its initial cabinet meeting asking for the reinstatement of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
After the government is established, I anticipate that during the initial cabinet meeting, a resolution will be approved urging the Centre to reinstate the statehood. He recommended that the government should then bring that decision to the attention of the prime minister.
The ex-chief minister expressed optimism that the administration in Jammu and Kashmir will function efficiently unlike in Delhi. We are different from Delhi. Delhi has never been a state. No assurance was given for statehood to Delhi. Before 2019, Jammu and Kashmir functioned as a state. The prime minister, home minister, and other senior ministers have assured us that three steps will be taken in J&K – delimitation, election, and finally statehood, as promised.
Delimitation has occurred, and the elections have also been conducted. He added that the only thing left is to restore statehood. Inquired about the importance of coordination between the new Jammu and Kashmir government and Centre, the National Conference leader emphasized that no progress can be made through conflict with New Delhi.
Allow the formation of the government to take place initially. The chief minister should be the one to be asked this question. It is important to maintain a friendly connection with New Delhi… resolving issues through conflict with the Centre is not the solution. We won’t embrace the BJP’s politics, and the BJP won’t embrace ours either. He stated that we will keep resisting the BJP, but we are not obliged to oppose the Centre.