New Delhi, Oct. 10 -- The National Conference (NC), the single-largest party in the recent Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections with 42 seats in the 90-member assembly, received a further boost with four of the seven candidates who won as independents, extending support to the party, on Thursday.

NC vice president Omar Abdullah, the likely chief minister, made the announcement shortly after he was 'unanimously' picked by the party's newly-elected MLAs, as the leader of the NC's legislature party.

The four independent legislators are Pyare Lal Sharma, Satish Sharma, Choudhary Mohammed Akram, and Dr Rameshwar Singh. They won from the Inderwal, Chhamb, Surankote, and Bani assembly seats, respectively, with their winning margins over their ...