Omar Abdullah puts onus of government formation on others, doesn't completely rule out tie-up with BJP or PDP

Defeated, yet visibly relieved after avoiding a complete whitewash, outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has put the onus of government formation on other parties in Jammu and Kashmir. 

In an interview to a leading news channel, Omar said that most people had written his party off after their listless performance in the Lok Sabha elections, but they had managed to win seats in every part of the state in the Assembly Elections. The National Conference (NC) has won 15 seats, and 2 independents backed by the party have also won in the elections. He however candidly confessed his nervousness when he was initially trailing in Beerwah.

The chief minister said that he expected the PDP to do much better as many issues were given to them on a platter. But according to Omar, they failed to seize the initiative. Omar was categorical in saying voting in many places had been along religious lines and often issues of development had taken a backseat. However, he said that it is not a Kashmir specific phenomenon and things could change in future.

Omar said that although he could have a deciding voice in selecting the next chief minister of the state, he is unlikely to make the first move. He said that if Amit Shah or Mufti Mohammad Saeed called him up and asked for support, he would discuss it with his party leaders. However, he said that a PDP-BJP government is most likely in the present scenario and it is highly unlikely that the BJP and NC will come together.