President's rule revoked in J&K, paves way for Omar Abdullah's government

This comes after National Conference leader Omar Abdullah met with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday to stake claim to form a new government following the recently concluded Assembly polls in J&K. 

In Short

• Omar Abdullah met Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to stake claim to form a new government
• Omar unanimously elected leader of NC legislative party
• NC-Congress alliance won 48 seats, BJP got 29 seats

The President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir has been pulled back, according to an official order, clearing the road for the formation of a new government in the Union Territory.

This comes after National Conference leader Omar Abdullah met with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday to stake claim to form a new government following the recently concluded Assembly polls in J&K.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019) read with Articles 239 and 239A of the Constitution of India, the order dated the 31st October 2019 about the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall stand revoked immediately before the appointment of the chief minister under Section 54 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019," the notification signed by President Droupadi Murmu was quoted by news agency PTI in its report.

Omar Abdullah was unanimously chosen as the leader of the National Conference legislative party on Thursday, paving the way for his second term as chief minister.

His first term, from 2009 to 2014, when Jammu and Kashmir was a state, was also under the NC-Congress coalition government.

The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were conducted for the first time after a gap of 10 years. President's rule was imposed in the region after the PDP-BJP alliance crumbled on June 19, 2018.

In 2019, the government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution and denominated the erstwhile state into Union Territory.

The National Conference (NC) won 42 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, while Congress secured just six — five in Kashmir and one in Jammu. The two parties had formed a pre-poll alliance. Their position is strengthened by the support of four independent MLA-elects and one from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the second-largest party with 29 seats.

The election, held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, was the first since Article 370 was revoked, making it a historic event.