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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Following the humiliating defeat of his party, the National Conference, in the assembly polls, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has changed his plan of retiring from politics.
Before the polls, Abdullah had handed over the reins of the party to his son Omar in the hope that he would be the National Democratic Alliance's nominee for the post of vice-president of the country.
That did not happen. And to make matter worse, the NC was routed in J&K.
Abdullah said, "I don't know when this state would let me retire from politics. If I would ever be allowed to retire at all."
In an interview with rediff.com a few days back, he had took upon himself the blame for the defeat of his party.
"Omar suffered because of me," he said.
But according to party sources, Abdullah thinks his son will be easy prey for the hawks in the NC.
As a stalemate continues between the Congress and the People's Democratic Party over the issue of chief ministership, Abdullah feels there is a strong chance that the NC might emerge as a dark horse.
When J&K National Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh expressed a desire to meet him, the former chief minister readily agreed. And this when Singh is known to be anti-Abdullah.
Though Singh described it as a courtesy call, Abdullah called it a political meeting. "He sought support from National Conference to form a government," he said.
Close aides of Abdullah are busy trying to rope in as many independents as possible to muster up the necessary numbers to stake claim to form the government.
According to sources, Farooq is planning his moves immaculately. "Look at the manner in which he denied more time to the Congress and PDP to forge an alliance. He forced Governor [Girish Chandra] Saxena to impose Governor's rule in the state," said a senior Congress leader in Delhi.
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