"Omar Abdullah Banega J&K Chief Minister," Announces Farooq Abdullah

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will become Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister, declared Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar today as his party races ahead of the winning mark in assembly elections in the Union territory. The veteran politician made the announcement after it became obvious that the Congress-NC alliance would win the first assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in 10 years.

"After 10 years, the people have given their mandate to us. We pray to Allah that we meet their expectations. It will not be 'police raj' here but public here. We will try to release the innocent from jail. Media will be free. We have to develop trust between Hindus and Muslims," Mr Abdullah told reporters.

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The former chief minister also hoped that INDIA alliance partners would help the NC fight to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, which became a Union territory following the repeal of its special status. On being asked who will be given the top post, the veteran politician declared, "Omar Abdullah banega Chief Minister."

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The Congress-National Conference alliance is leading in 52 out of the total 90 seats, comfortably past the halfway mark of 46, while the BJP is ahead in 27 seats. Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP) may end up with just two seats, the trends show.

Omar Abdullah, who had earlier served in the top post from 2009 to 2015, thanked the voters for electing NC back to power and said his party will prove that it deserves the votes.

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"Entire result hasn't come yet. We will talk about this after that. The way NC has got victory, we are thankful to the voters. People have supported us more than our expectations. Now our efforts will be to prove that we are worth these votes," he told reporters.

This morning, he had posted online that he hopes the counting day will end well for him. In another, the 54-year-old NC leader had called the exit polls a "waste of time".

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Mehbooba Mufti, who was the last chief minister of the undivided state, said people have voted for a "stable government" as her own Peoples' Democratic Party posted one of its worst performances. "I think the people wanted a stable government and they thought that National Conference-Congress could give that and keep BJP away," said the PDP chief.

The PDP had formed a government in coalition with the BJP in 2015. The government fell in 2018 as the BJP withdrew it support after Ms Mufti took over as Chief Minister following her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's death.