Srinagar, Oct. 16 -- As the National Conference (NC) government completes two years in office in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, chief minister Omar Abdullah finds himself struggling to balance public expectations against the administrative constraints of governing a Union Territory.

When Abdullah took oath on October 16, 2024, following a landslide victory-where the NC secured 42 seats and its coalition partner, the Congress, won six-he expressed optimism that statehood would be restored within a year. Despite maintaining a reconciliatory stance toward New Delhi and repeatedly raising the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, statehood remains unrealised. Midway through his term, Abdullah points to J&K's "two...