Omar Abdullah takes oath as first CM of J&K UT; Congress stays away from Cabinet

Srinagar: Omar Abdullah, vice-president of the National Conference (NC), was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, following his party's victory in the recent assembly elections. The swearing-in took place under tight security measures.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Abdullah as Chief Minister, alongside Surinder Choudhary, a senior NC leader who defeated BJP's Jammu and Kashmir chief, Ravinder Raina, in the Nowshera constituency. Choudhary will serve as the Deputy Chief Minister. Other NC leaders – Sakina Itoo, Javed Dar, Javed Rana, and Satish Sharma – were also sworn in as ministers.

This marks Abdullah’s second term as Chief Minister, and notably, he is the first to hold office since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory in 2019.

The NC’s alliance partner Congress has as of now opted to sit out of the government, sources said. In the morning the Congress was offered one ministerial berth, which it declined and chose to extend support from outside.

“The Congress is not joining the ministry in the Jammu and Kashmir government at the moment. The Congress has strongly demanded from the Centre to restore Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, the Prime Minister has time and again, promised the same in public meetings," J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, said.

Top leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, CPI’s D. Raja, and AAP’s Sanjay Singh, attended the ceremony held at the SK International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), was also present.

This marks the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir in over six years, following the dissolution of the state assembly in 2018 and the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. In the recently concluded elections, the NC-Congress alliance secured 48 out of 90 seats, while the BJP won 29 and the PDP three. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also made its debut with a victory by candidate Mehraj Malik.

Earlier in the day while speaking to reporters after offering prayers at the Hazratbal shrine, Abdullah expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir's Union Territory status would be temporary.

He emphasized his commitment to working with the central government to address the region’s issues, starting with the restoration of statehood. He pledged to listen to the people's grievances, stating, "We have to give people the hope that this is their government, and they will be heard after years of neglect."

Abdullah also dismissed any rift between the NC and Congress, saying the grand old party would not be part of the Cabinet for now.