Jammu and Kashmir’s former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was on Thursday elected as the leader of the National Conference legislature party.

“I am thankful to the National Conference legislators from the bottom of my heart that they have reposed their faith in me and given me a chance to stake a claim for government formation,” Abdullah said after the legislature party meeting.

This came after his party, in alliance with the Congress, won the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Tuesday.

While the National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats, the Congress clinched six. Their ally, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), won one seat.

Abdullah won the Budgam and Ganderbal constituencies.

He said that a meeting of the alliance partners is scheduled for Friday, reported PTI.

“Talks are on with the Congress,” said Abdullah on Thursday. “They have been given a day to decide. Once they give us a letter of support, I will stake a claim for government formation.”

Earlier in the day, four Independent MLAs extended their support to the National Conference, bringing its tally in the House to 46 seats.

Those who extended their support are Pyare Lal Sharma, who won the Assembly polls from Inderwal, Satish Sharma who won from Chhamb, Choudhary Mohammed Akram who clinched Surankote and Rameshwar Singh, the winner from Bani.

This was the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in 10 years, and also the first since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019. Article 370 gave special status to the erstwhile state. The Centre at the time also bifurcated the state into two Union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

In December, the Supreme Court in its verdict on petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 had directed the Union government to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood “at the earliest and as soon as possible”.

The court had set September 2024 as the deadline for the Election Commission to conduct elections for the Legislative Assembly that is to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during the Lok Sabha election campaign that the statehood of the Union territory will be restored soon. He reiterated the promise during the Assembly polls campaign.

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