J&K statehood restoration will be top priority, says Congress

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, who is set to become the next Chief Minister of the Union Territory, reiterated that the J&K's statehood should be restored as it is the top priority of the people in the region and also his party's. Following this, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Madhav reacted to his stance and said that the NC's performance in Jammu indicated that the people of the region "clearly rejected" Abdullah's policy on Article 370.

He further advised the NC leader to "not give sermons on Article 370" and said, "Let Omar approach the central government for the restoration of statehood".

"The people of Jammu and rejected Omar Abdullah. This is a clear rejection of Omar’s policy on Article 370 as he did not get any seats in the jammu region," Madhav said. He also added that Abudllah's party benefitted from the division of votes in the valley and that the NC's overall vote share was lower than BJP, News 18 reported.