National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah was on Wednesday sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir while party leader Surinder Kumar Choudhary was sworn in as the Deputy CM.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Saxena administered the oath of office to Abdullah and his council of ministers at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Center (SKICC) in Srinagar.
#WATCH Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, in Srinagar.
The leaders from INDIA bloc including Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, JKNC chief Farooq Abdullah, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, PDP chief Mehbooba… pic.twitter.com/kasFd4sawM
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2024
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Omar Abdullah and his council of ministers.
National Conference MLA from Mendhar Javed Ahmed Rana, Javid Ahmed Dar from Rafiabad, Sakina Itu from DH Pora and Surinder Kumar Chaudhary were also sworn in as ministers in the cabinet by LG Sinha.
Independent MLA from Chhamb assembly seat, Satish Sharma was given a place in the cabinet led by Omar Abdullah.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Several India Bloc leaders including Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Prakash Karat, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule, DMK MP Kanimozhi, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and CPI leader D Raja attended the appointment ceremony for the post of JKNC vice president. Were present.
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti was also present at the function.
It is noteworthy that in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Congress-National Conference won 48 seats, in which NC won 42 and Congress won only six seats.
This will be the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and reorganization of the erstwhile state into two union territories.
Omar Abdullah’s grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah became the first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after its merger with India and later also the Chief Minister. Omar’s father Farooq Abdullah had been the Chief Minister of the then state thrice.
Former MP Omar Abdullah was the then Chief Minister of the state between 2009 and 2015. He also served as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs in the NDA government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 2001 to 2002.
President’s rule has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir since 2018 after the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew its support to the coalition government with the Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Recently, President’s rule was lifted in Jammu and Kashmir, paving the way for the formation of a new government after the recently concluded assembly elections in the Union Territory.