Farooq Abdullah to step down as NC president in Dec; will continue as PAGD chief

Veteran politician and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday announced that he would step down as president of the National Conference next month, saying it is time to hand over the mantle to the new generation.

Holding the post for nearly four decades except for seven years beginning 2002, the 85-year-old Abdullah is expected to continue as patron of the party and guide it especially during the first assembly elections after the state was downgraded to a union territory. No dates for the polls have been announced so far.

There is widespread speculation that his son Omar Abdullah, currently the partys vice-president, is likely to succeed him as the new chief. Omar was elected as party president in 2002 and he continued to remain at the helm of affairs till 2009 after which he resigned because he was elected the chief minister of the erstwhile state.

“I will not be contesting for the post of president any longer. The elections for the post will be held on December 5. It is time for the new generation to take over the responsibilities,” Farooq Abdullah told

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)