J & K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his chamber at the secretariat, in Srinagar
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: The inaugural session of the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory Assembly has been officially called for by the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) for November 4.
On the same day, elections for the post of Speaker will take place, setting the stage for the assembly's functioning, sources said. The election for the post of the Speaker has been fixed by the L-G who exercised powers conferred upon him under Rule 9(1) of the Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Senior leader of ruling National Conference and former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather is top choice for the post of speaker post as the ruling alliance has support of 55 MLAs in 90-member House.
There are chances that Rather would be unanimously elected as Speaker of the House as Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest opposition party in the House, is unlikely to field its candidate for the post.
The session is expected to commence with an address from the L-G to the House, where he will outline the government's key priorities and initiatives moving forward.
Under the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the L-G shall address the House and inform the causes for its summon at the commencement of the first session after each election to the Legislative Assembly and at the commencement of the first session of each year.
On October 18, the L-G appointed senior leader of NC Mubarak Gul, who won the assembly election from Eidgah constituency, as pro-tem speaker. Gul administered oath/affirmation to newly elected MLAs on October 21.
As the assembly prepares for its first session, stakeholders and citizens alike are eager to see how the new leadership will approach development, security, and community welfare in Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the NC-Congress alliance victory, Omar Abdullah took oath as the first Chief Minister of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16. Abdullah had earlier served as Chief Minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2009 and 2015.