“Omar Abdullah will be CM,” says Farooq ahead of J&K results announced

Srinagar: National Conference Chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that people have given their mandate in the Assembly polls and that Omar Abdullah will become the next Chief Minister of the Union Territory. ECI indicates "People have given their mandate, they have proven that they don't accept the decision that was taken on August 5...Omar Abdullah will be the Chief Minister," the senior Abdullah said here as Election Commision results indicated National Conference-Congress alliance likely crossing the majority mark in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Omar Abdullah, also a former CM, will be the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah said. Farooq further said Farooq said, "We want to tackle issues of unemployment, inflation and others. I am grateful to everybody for casting their votes. Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister." Greets his supporters Earlier in the day, the National Conference Chief appeared on the balcony of his house here to greet his supporters displaying a show of strength. The voting results decide the electoral fate of several former ministers including Tara Chand, Muzaffar Baig, Raman Bhalla, Basharat Bukha along with Omar Abdullah, Ravinder Raina, Yousuf Tarigami and several others. Trichy Congress president L Rex distributed Kashmiri apples in Tiruchirappali and burst crackers to celebrate the J&K Assembly election trends. Visuals showed him sharing apples with passengers on buses during the celebration. J-K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra and workers of the party also celebrated at the party office in Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra said that the final results would be accordingly and further added that the alliance partners would have to sit and formulate on how the power sharing has to be done. JNKC workers celebrated As pre-poll alliance of Congress and National Conference crossed the halfway mark in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning, the workers of JNKC sang and celebrated in Srinagar. As per the latest EC data of 2.45 PM, JKNC has won 24 seats and is leading on 17 so far while Congress won 3 seats and is leading on 3 seats. BJP has secured victory on 17 seats and is leading on 12. Mehbooba Mufti's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won two seats and is leading on two seats while Independents and smaller parties were leading on four seats and have won three seats. (with Agency inputs)