By IANS,
Srinagar/New Delhi : Omar Abdullah, the president of the
National Conference (NC), will become the youngest-yet chief minister of
Jammu and Kashmir, with Congress Tuesday giving its nod for a coalition with
the NC, the single largest party in the new state assembly.
The uncertainty about the formation of a new government following a
fractured verdict in the recently concluded elections ended Tuesday after
Abdullah, 38, met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital.
“There will be a coalition government of the Congress and the National
Conference in the state. Omar Abdullah will be the next chief minister of
Jammu and Kashmir,” senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan told reporters
after the Abdullah-Gandhi meeting.
The third generation charismatic scion of the Abdullah family that has ruled
the state off and on in the last 60 years will be the youngest-yet chief
minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
An elated Abdullah, flanking Chavan outside Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath house
in New Delhi, said: “I am happy Gandhi accepted this proposal (of coalition
government).”
“It is going to be a government of equal partnership.”
“Till now, the only thing that has been decided is that I will head the
government. The rest of the modalities will be finalised later.”
The assembly elections, which saw a huge turnout of 63 percent, threw up a
fractured mandate with no single party getting the 44 legislators needed to
form a government.
The NC, which emerged as the single largest party in the newly elected
house, has 28 legislators. The Congress has 17. The two parties together
make 45 – one above the required number.
The state has been without an elected government since July when the former
coalition government fell apart after Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
withdrew its support to Congress chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Abdullahs, the first political family of the state, will re-emerge on the
chair, snatched from them six years ago after the Congress-PDP alliance kept
the NC at bay following 2002 elections. The NC had emerged as the single
largest party in the last elections as well.
The iconic Sheikh Abdullah, the NC founder, ruled Jammu and Kashmir off and
on till his death in 1982. His son Farooq succeeded him and was chief
minister thrice (1982-84, 1987-90 and 1996-2002).
Jubilations began in the NC camp in the Kashmir Valley, as TV channels
flashed the news of the Congress endorsing the young Abdullah as the next
chief minister of the state.
“It is a victory for the National Conference and we are relieved to hear the
news. The Congress and our party will definitely do better and live up to
the expectations of those who voted us to power jointly,” said NC leader
Gulam Ahmad Saloora.
Party supporters started gathering at the Gupkar houses of Omar Abdullah and
his father Farooq, the NC patron.
On the other hand, there was palpable gloom in the rival PDP camp, though
its president Mehbooba Mufti accepted the new alliance with stoic realism.
The PDP will provide the main opposition with 21 seats.
She said her party would play the role of a “good, constructive opposition”.
“We are happy that we are finally going to see a democratically elected
government,” Mehbooba said shortly after the announcement of the new
coalition.
Common people in Srinagar and in Jammu as well looked to the younger
Abdullah to work for the development of the state where a separatist
campaign raging since 1989 has claimed over 47,000 lives.
“We have tried Farooq (Abdullah). He was non-serious most of the time. Omar
starts his innings with a clean slate. He will have to prove himself and he
has the capacity to work hard as well,” said Mehraj-ud-Din, a fruit seller
on Residency Road in Srinagar.
The younger generation is definitely enthused by Abdullah’s elevation.
“The days of the old generation are over. We voted for him (Omar) and he has
the right understanding of what the new generation of Kashmiris expects from
him,” said Haroon Wani, 26, from Abdullah’s Ganderbal constituency.
People in the Hindu-majority Jammu region hoped that the new government
would take care of their interests too.
Kuldeep Dogra, a political science student in Jammu University, hoped that
the “new government led by Omar Abdullah will take care of Jammu’s welfare”.