Srinagar, July 29 - Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, with his conditional resignation after being linked to a sex scandal, has limited Governor N.N. Vohra's options, says a constitutional expert.

'The governor as per the constitution of the state is not empowered to reject the resignation submitted to him by chief minister,' renowned lawyer and constitutional expert Zafar Shah told IANS Wednesday.

Abdullah Tuesday submitted his resignation to Vohra, saying the allegations leveled against him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be probed and if found true, the governor must immediately accept his resignation.

The formal response from the governor is awaited but the chief minister was asked to stay on before Vohra flew to Delhi to attend a function.

PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig alleged on the floor of the state assembly that Abdullah was involved in the infamous 2006 sex scandal that rocked the valley.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the case, has already given a clean chit to Abdullah, and asserted that the chief minister's name never figured in the sex scam.

Following the resignation by the state chief minister, conditional or otherwise, the Jammu and Kashmir governor is constitution bound to invite the leader of the majority party in the assembly to be the new chief minister, the expert said.