Omar Abdullah is set to be sworn in today as the first chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir since the region became a Union Territory. His party, the National Conference, secured victory in the first Assembly election held after the abrogation of Article 370.
As reported by news agency PTI, preparations for the swearing-in ceremony at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) are finalized. Jammu and Kashmir’s lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha, will administer the oath to Omar Abdullah and his council of ministers at 11:30 AM.
Guest for the Ceremony
The National Conference (NC) has extended invitations to several prominent leaders from the INDIA alliance for the oath-taking ceremony in Jammu and Kashmir. Among the invitees are Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha; Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge; and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Other notable guests include Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Stalin.
Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal have also received invitations to the ceremony.
The invitation for Omar Abdullah to take the oath was issued by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday, after President’s rule was lifted in the Union Territory.
In a letter addressed to Omar Abdullah, Sinha stated, “I have received a letter dated October 11, 2024, from Farooq Abdullah, president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, informing me that you have been unanimously elected as the leader of the Legislature Party.”
Last week, Omar Abdullah was unanimously chosen as the leader of the National Conference Legislature Party, setting the stage for his return as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir for a second term. His first term ran from 2009 to 2014, during which Jammu and Kashmir was still a state under an NC-Congress coalition government.
As a Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir has only 10 ministerial positions, and reports suggest that around nine ministers will be sworn into the cabinet today. In addition, the Congress, a coalition partner in Jammu and Kashmir, has appointed Ghulam Ahmad Mir as the leader of its Legislature Party.
Omar Abdullah Won a Prestigious Battle
Omar Abdullah contested and won in two key constituencies: Budgam, where he led by 18,485 votes, and Ganderbal, with a victory margin of 10,574 votes. Under his leadership, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) won 42 seats, while the Congress secured six, enabling their alliance to form the next government.
