Abdullah skipped the swearing-in ceremony that was held on Friday, and in his place, his son and Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, represented the party.
Abdullah Sr said the prime minister had assured him that once the negotiations were over with the DMK, then the Congress would talk to the NC. Speculation is rife that he might be find a slot in the second round of swearing-in that is likely to take place on Tuesday.
The Congress-NC alliance had won five of the six Lok Sabha seats in J&K. There were reports that the Congress high command was upset with the NC for playing the communal card in the Leh Lok Sabha constituency where they openly backed Ghulam Hassan Khan, its provincial president who had contested from Leh as an independent candidate.
Published 22 May 2009, 20:09 IST