The NC-Congress alliance claimed to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir when chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar. Omar Abdullah showed Sinha the letters of support from coalition partners, after Congress also supported the NC vice president.
On Thursday, Omar Abdullah was chosen as the leader of the NC legislature party in a unanimous decision, setting the stage for his second term as the chief minister of J-K. He first served as the chief minister leading the NC-Congress coalition government from 2009 to 2014. NC won 42 out of 90 seats in three-phase elections, while Congress, their alliance partner, won six seats. Despite holding the majority in the 95-seat House, the NC has gained support from four Independents and the sole AAP MLA. Omar Abdullah spoke to journalists at his home after coming back from the Raj Bhavan, saying he asked the LG to schedule the swearing-in of the new government as soon as possible.
I encountered the LG and showed the support letters from the NC, Congress, CPI(M), AAP, and Independents backing the NC. The CM-designate asked him to schedule a date promptly for the oath ceremony and the start of the people-elected government. He mentioned that it is probable for the oath ceremony to happen on Wednesday. “This procedure will require a certain amount of time. An elected government is not being replaced by another elected government. This rule is key as we are a Union Territory, and the LG is responsible for drafting and submitting documents to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
After leaving the Rashtrapati Bhavan, they will proceed to the Home Ministry to complete their paperwork before the documents are returned. We have been informed that the process will require a minimum of two to three days. Omar Abdullah added that he expects the oath ceremony to take place on Wednesday if the process is completed soon. At an earlier time on the same day, six Congress MLAs gathered and gave permission to the party leaders in New Delhi to choose the leader of their legislative group. Following the meeting, JKPCC president Tariq Karra stated that the CLP meeting had collectively agreed to authorize the central leadership to make the decision regarding the CLP leader.