On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Omar Abdullah as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir at SKICC in Srinagar. Several ministers from the National Conference also took the oath alongside Omar Abdullah.
These included Javed Ahmed Rana from Mendhar, Javid Ahmad Dar from Rafiabad, Sakina Itoo from DH Pora, and Surinder Kumar Chowdhary. Independent MLA from Chhamb assembly seat Satish Sharma also made it to the cabinet.
National and regional leaders greatly attended the event. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi graced the oath-taking ceremony. And Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Other big names who marked their presence on the occasion include Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. Communist Party of India Marxist leader Prakash Karat; Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule; and DMK MP Kanimozhi. Present in the meeting were AAP leader Sanjay Singh and CPI leader D Raja, besides PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti.
For the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories. An elected government will be formed in Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference and Congress won 48 seats in the latest assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir. While the National Conference won 42, its alliance partner Congress had secured six seats.
Omar Abdullah belongs to a family that has experienced political leadership in the state of Jammu and Kashmir for many years. His grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was the first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. After it acceded to India and later served as Chief Minister. Omar’s father, Farooq Abdullah, has served as Chief Minister of the erstwhile state thrice.
Omar Abdullah was a Member of Parliament and erstwhile Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2009 to 2015. He also held the position of Union Minister of State for External Affairs in the government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during 2001-2002.
The state has been under President’s rule since 2018 after the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew the support of the coalition government. Headed by Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party. The recent revocation of it paved the way for the formation of a new government.
ANI
