Jammu and Kashmir: NC–Congress alliance stakes claim to form govt

The National Conference (NC)–Congress alliance on Friday, 11 October, staked the claim to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir as chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar.

During his meeting with Sinha, Abdullah presented the letters of support from his coalition partners, hours after the Congress extended its support to the NC vice president.

Abdullah was unanimously elected as the leader of the NC legislature party on Thursday, 10 October, paving the way for his second term as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

His first tenure as chief minister was also as the head of an NC–Congress coalition government from 2009 to 2014.

The NC won 42 of the 90 seats, for which elections were held in three phases, with alliance partner Congress bagging 6 more seats. Although the two parties have a majority in the 95-member House, four independents and the lone AAP MLA have also extended their support to the NC.

Talking to reporters at his residence after returning from the Raj Bhavan, Abdullah said he requested the LG to fix a date for the swearing in of the new government at the earliest.

"I met the LG and presented the letters of support from the NC, Congress, CPI(M), AAP and independents who have supported the NC. I requested him to fix a date as soon as possible so that the oath ceremony takes place and the government elected by the people starts functioning," the CM-designate said.

He said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place on Wednesday, 16 October.

"This process will take some time. It is not that an elected government is replacing another elected government. This is a central rule, we are a Union Territory, and the LG has to prepare documents and send them to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"From the Rashtrapati Bhavan, they will go to the home ministry, where they will do their paperwork and then the documents will be sent back. We have been told that it will take at least two–three days. I hope that if this process is completed at the earliest, then the oath ceremony will take place on Wednesday," Abdullah added.

Earlier in the day, the six Congress MLAs met here and authorised the party high command in New Delhi to nominate the leader of its legislature party.

After the meeting, JKPCC president Tariq Karra said the CLP meeting unanimously decided to give the right to the central leadership to take the call on the CLP leader.