Click to play videoNew Delhi: Allaying all speculations of a rift within the National Conference, party leader Farooq Abdullah named his son and party president Omar Abdullah as Jammu and Kashmir's chief ministerial candidate.
"I've thought about the issue overnight and have decided Omar should be National Conference's chief ministerial candidate. Younger CM will be better for the state," Farooq told CNN-IBN.
"It's time that I build the party as we have lost some ground," Farooq added. "I'll play more of a role in national politics than domestic politics."
Accepting the candidature, Omar said, "I will be guided by my father," and added, "We need to sit down and discuss thing with our party leaders and coalition."
The 38-year-old party president added, "We both want the same thing for the party and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The old guard and the young guard will work together."
For the fourth time in the year, an election result threw up a fascinating picture, with the National Conference emerging as the single largest party in the Assembly poll results on Sunday.
However, soon after there were speculations of Omar and Farooq being at odds over who will be the party's chief ministerial candidate.
While former chief minister Farooq Abdullah has been the National Conference's dominant choice for Chief Minister, his son and party president Omar Abdullah is popular among the youth.
"I think Farooq Abdullah is the Chief Ministerial candidate for a couple of years because finally Omar has to take over," Farooq told CNN-IBN in an exclusive interview.
Reacting to his father's statement, Omar said, "He knows that he is going to have to deliver. He is going to have to do a lot more than he has been able to do in the past."
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