Srinagar, Oct 10: Omar Abdullah, leader of the National Conference (NC), expressed his gratitude to the party’s legislators on Thursday for electing him as their leader in the legislature, enabling him to stake a claim for forming the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the media after his election as the head of the NC legislature party, Abdullah conveyed his sincere appreciation for the trust and confidence placed in him by his colleagues.
“I am deeply thankful to the NC legislators for reposing their faith in me and giving me the opportunity to stake claim for the formation of the government,” he stated. “As you all know, the NC legislature party met today and made its decision, for which I am truly grateful.”
Abdullah further mentioned that four of the seven Independent Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have pledged their support to the National Conference, boosting the party’s strength to 46 seats. “We are currently in discussions with the Congress party, and they have been given a day to finalize their decision. Once they provide us with a formal letter of support, I will proceed to stake a claim for forming the government,” he added.
In the recently concluded Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the National Conference emerged as the single-largest party, securing 42 seats in the 95-member Assembly. With the additional backing of its alliance partners, the Congress, which won six seats, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with one seat, the NC has now achieved a comfortable majority, strengthening its position to form the government.