Why Omar Abdullah is keen on meaningful ties with Centre after winning Jammu Kashmir polls

The NC secured 42 seats, but the NC-Congress alliance, with 48 seats, is just above the 45-seat majority required in the J&K Assembly.

The election results showed a clear divide: the NC won the Valley, while the BJP dominated the Jammu plains, where the Congress managed only one seat.

Omar Abdullah, who is expected to become the Chief Minister, recognizes the importance of coordination with the Centre, given that Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory where the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) and the Centre have significant influence over daily governance.

“We need to have coordination with the Centre. As many issues of J&K can't be resolved by fighting with the Centre,” Abdullah said after the results were announced.

He further emphasized the need for smooth relations with both the L-G and the Union government: "I will make every effort to ensure that the incoming government works for smooth relations both with the LG and the Union government."

Omar also noted that the NC would likely have performed well even without the alliance with the Congress. "The alliance with the Congress wasn't about seats for us. We would have won the seats without the Congress, except probably one of them," he told India Today TV.

One of the new government’s priorities will be the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.

Abdullah expressed optimism about working with the Centre to achieve this goal, citing promises made by the Prime Minister and Home Minister during the campaign.

"In that respect, I believe the PM is an honourable man. He has promised the people while campaigning here that statehood will be restored. The honourable home minister did the same," Abdullah added.

The Central government has indicated that statehood will be restored when the time is right, but Omar Abdullah has also signalled that there will be no immediate confrontation on the issue of Article 370, which was revoked when Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its special status.

“Our political stance has never changed. It is foolish to expect the restoration of Article 370 from the BJP. We will keep the issue alive," he said, adding, "We will continue to bat for the restoration of Article 370 when the time is right."

Abdullah made it clear that while there will be no sudden political alignment with the BJP, administrative pragmatism is necessary: "The NC will not suddenly discover some love for the BJP and vice versa. We will continue to oppose each other politically," he explained. "I am drawing a distinction between the NC and the BJP on one side, and the J&K government and the Centre on the other."

The NC and BJP were partners in the past and Omar Abdullah had served as a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government from 1999 to 2002.

However, any recent attempts to form a government with the BJP have been rebuffed by the party.

Senior BJP leader Devendra Singh Rana confirmed that after the abrogation of Article 370, the NC approached the BJP to form a coalition, but the overtures were rejected.

Despite the political rivalry, the NC-BJP divide reflects the broader Valley-plains split in the election results.

While the NC triumphed in the Valley, the BJP's gains were concentrated in Jammu, winning all its 29 seats in the region.

Notably, ahead of the elections, Omar Abdullah had stated that the Jammu and Kashmir government was not involved in the decision to execute parliament attack master-mind Afzal Guru.

He added that if state approval had been required for the execution, it would have been withheld.

Abdullah said that it was “unfortunate” that the Jammu and Kashmir government had nothing to do with the Guru’s execution.

“Otherwise, you would have had to do it with the permission of the state government, which I can tell you in no uncertain terms would not have been forthcoming. We wouldn't have done it. I don't believe that any purpose was served by executing him," Abdullah was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The election results have highlighted, Omar Abdullah failed to gain the trust of the voters in Jammu, where BJP won all the seats, except one, which was won by the Congress.

However, Omar Abdullah acknowledged he feels the need to foster a sense of inclusivity in those parts of Jamme Kashmir, which did not vote for his party.

"We also have the added challenge of giving a sense of belonging or sense of ownership to parts of J&K that didn't vote for the coalition at all. The plains of Jammu rejected the coalition, but they will have to feel a part of the government. You cannot ignore them for 5 years," he was quoted as saying by India Today

The cooperation between the NC and BJP could help bridge this divide, as both represent key voter bases in Jammu and Kashmir.

With the support of five nominated members, the BJP's strength stands at 34, which would contribute to the stability of the government.

While Omar Abdullah may be leaning towards cooperation with Prime Minister Modi for effective governance, the unpredictable nature of politics could open other possibilities in the future.