SRINAGAR: Ahead of counting of votes, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said his party was open to the idea of taking support of Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP to form government in the Union territory.

He also flayed the move to give powers to the Lieutenant Governor for nominating members to the five reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, and said his party would approach the Supreme Court if the BJP-led Centre went ahead with it.

Abdullah, while ruling himself out of the race for chief minister’s post, said statehood should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir so that the new government has powers to address the people’s problems.

Press Trust of India