National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah has declared that his son, Omar Abdullah, will be the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir following the party’s strong showing in the recent election results. In a media statement, Farooq Abdullah emphasized the significance of the people’s mandate, asserting, “They have proven that they don’t accept the decision that was taken on August 5 regarding the abrogation of Article 370. Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister.”
As the results unfolded, the National Conference had secured victories in seven constituencies and was ahead in 34 others, comfortably surpassing the crucial halfway mark of 46 seats in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. In alliance with the Congress party—currently leading in six seats—the coalition is positioned favorably. Omar Abdullah contested elections in two seats, Budgam and Ganderbal, where he won Budgam by a margin of 18,485 votes and is leading in Ganderbal by 9,766 votes after 15 rounds of counting.
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah says, “People have given their mandate, they have proven that they don’t accept the decision that was taken on August 5…Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister.” pic.twitter.com/qiTUaFz7zd
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
After early trends indicated a leading position for the National Conference-Congress alliance, Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to mock exit polls that had predicted a hung assembly in the Union Territory. He stated, “If you pay for exit polls or waste time discussing them, you deserve all the jokes/memes/ridicule. There was a reason I called them a waste of time a few days ago.”
Omar Abdullah, who previously served as Chief Minister, had contested the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year from the Baramulla seat but was defeated by Independent candidate Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid. This latest political development marks a significant comeback for the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir.
