Omar Abdullah to Take Oath as J&K Chief Minister Today; Congress Likely Absent from Cabinet

Omar Abdullah to Take Oath as J&K Chief Minister Today: NC leader Omar Abdullah takes oath as J&K Chief Minister in Srinagar today, 5 ministers two from Kashmir and 3 from Jammu—also took oath.

Surinder Chaudhary, an NC leader from Jammu was sworn in as deputy CM by J&K LG Manoj Sinha. The other ministers who took oath today are Sakina Ittoo, Javed Rana, Javed Dar and Satish Sharma. All are NC MLAs.

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Choudhary is NC MLA from Nowshera in Jammu and Sakeena Itoo, is NC MLA from Damhal Hanjipora in Kashmir. Javed Rana is NC MLA from Mendhar in Jammu while Javed Dar is NC MLA from Rafiabad, Kashmir. Satish Sharma is independent MLA from Chhamb in Jammu supporting NC-Congress alliance.

Congress which was an ally of National Conference has decided not to be part of the new Jammu and Kashmir government.

“Congress has strongly demanded from the Centre to restore Statehood to J&K, besides the Prime Minister has time and again in public meetings promised the same. But the Statehood has not been restored to J&K. We are unhappy therefore we are not joining the Ministry at the moment, JKPCC Chief added and said Congress Party shall continue to fight for restoration of Statehood," Congress party's J-K chief Tariq Hameed Karra said explaining why Congress stayed out of government.

Abdullah is first CM of the Union Territory after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. He is also first CM of Jammu and Kashmir after the state was bifurcated into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories.

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Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are attending Omar's oath-taking ceremony at SKICC in Srinagar today.

Floral Tributes to Sheikh Abdullah

Hours before his oath-taking, Omar paid floral tributes at Mazar-e-Anwar – the mausoleum of National Conference founder and his grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in Srinagar. “I have some strange distinctions. I was the last chief minister to serve a full six-year term. Now I'll be the first chief minister of the Union territory of J&K. The last distinction, as in the one of serving six years," Omar said on the occasion.

It is Abdullah's second term as J&K CM. He was J&K CM first time between January 5, 2009 and January 8, 2015.

National Conference-Congress alliance won the first assembly elections after abrogation of Article 370. NC won 42 seats while Congress won 6 seats. The majority was further strengthened with the support of 5 independent MLAs and 1 MLA from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). BJP won 29 seats, up from 25 it won in 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under President’s rule since June 2018 after BJP withdrew its support to CM Mehbooba Mufti led coalition government with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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