J&K Assembly polls: Omar Abdullah set to become CM again as NC chooses him as legislative party chairman

Omar Abdullah has been chosen as the chairman of the legislative party of the National Conference (NC), making him the party’s chief ministerial candidate for Jammu and Kashmir. NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah confirmed this after a meeting at the party's Nawa-e-Subh headquarters in Srinagar on Thursday.

Omar is expected to receive a letter of support from the Congress and meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to officially stake a claim for forming the government, with the backing of 49 legislators.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Dr Farooq said that Omar was unanimously selected as the legislative party chairman, although he did not go into further detail. NC insiders confirmed that this decision positions Omar as the chief ministerial face.

An NC leader present during the meeting mentioned that the party plans to stake a claim for government formation by Saturday. “The Congress is holding its meeting tomorrow, and once we have their support, we’ll move ahead,” the leader said. He also noted that all newly elected members pledged to remain united and to work towards fulfilling the promises made to the people during the elections.