Omar will be J&K CM: Farooq amid NC's strong showing
What's the story
National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah has announced that his son, Omar Abdullah, will be the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
The announcement came after the NC-Congress crossed the halfway mark in Tuesday's election results.
"People have given their mandate. They have proven that they don't accept the decision that was taken on August 5 (abrogation of Article 370). Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister," Farooq told reporters.
Election results
National Conference leads in J&K Assembly elections
According to latest update, the NC had won seven constituencies and was leading on 34 seats.
With its Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc ally Congress leading on six seats, the party is comfortably crossing the halfway mark of 46 in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Omar contested from two seats—Budgam and Ganderbal—and has already won Budgam by a margin of 18,485 votes.
Candidate lead
Omar Abdullah's performance in J&K Assembly elections
Apart from his win in Budgam, Omar is also leading in Ganderbal by a margin of 9,766 votes after 15 rounds of counting.
The final results are yet to be declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Counting of votes is also underway for Haryana assembly polls.