Farooq Abdullah to succeed Omar as NC chief

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah is taking over as the president of the ruling National Conference this week.

Dr Abdullah, who won the state assembly polls from two constituencies, will replace his son and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as the party's president.

National Conference, which emerged as a single largest party in the state assembly elections, is ruling the state in coalition with the Congress.

Dr Abdullah has said that as party president he will "strive hard to re-energise the party at the grass root level, make decision making a broad based exercise and restore the mass base that the party enjoyed."

The recent elections have reflected massive erosions in the NC's mass base. The premier factor for it has been the emergence of the PDP, which has dislodged the NC in the Valley, bagging as many as 19 seats.