By IANS,
Srinagar : National Conference (NC) chief patron Farooq Abdullah Monday said the party’s chief ministerial candidate in Jammu and Kashmir will be his son and party president Omar Abdullah, who however said it was not yet clear who will be the chief minister.
“It is not yet clear who will be chief minister. It is clear that I will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate,” Omar Abdullah told reporters here.
“At the moment we are focusing to cement an alliance with the Congress party and Doctor Sahab (Farooq Abdullah) will go to Delhi today to meet the Congress high command, if the weather permits,” he said.
Earlier, Farooq Abdullah endorsed Omar Abdullah as the National Conference’s chief ministerial candidate after many flip-flops on the decision.
The National Conference is the largest party in the 87-member assembly with 28 seats after Sunday’s vote count. With the 17 Congress legislators elected, it can form a coalition that will cross the halfway mark.
“I had already thought of taking care of the party and playing a role in national politics. There is no confusion about Omar’s choice as the party’s chief ministerial candidate which will soon be endorsed here by the NC legislature party in its meeting,” Farooq Abdullah said.
Farooq Abdullah said he was ready to shake hands with the Congress.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to hold talks over the issue with former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and state party president Saifuddin Soz in New Delhi later Monday.