New Delhi: After months of suspense, the resignation of the Omar Abdullah as Minister of State for External Affairs has finally been accepted.

The resignation given to Prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee before the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections has been accepted by President A P J Abdul Kalam, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said tonight (Dec 23).

"The President on the advice of the Prime Minister is pleased to accept the resignation of Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for External Affairs, from the Council of Ministers," it said.

Ahead of the elections, Abdullah, who took over as the new National Conference President from his father Farooq Abdullah, had sought to relinquish his Ministerial berth and concentrate on party work. But the Prime Minister had asked him to stay put.

However, after the election and the debacle of National Conference, Omar insisted on his resignation being accepted.

PTI