Sporting a jet-black knee-length coat and a skull cap, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Omar at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), located on the banks of river Jhelum, in the environs of the Mughal Gardens.
Omar became the first Chief Minister of the region since it was downgraded to Union Territory ( UT) on August 5, 2019.
Besides Omar, five cabinet ministers, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Satish Sharma, Javed Dar, Sakina Itoo and Javed Rana, were sworn in too.
Kumar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister. He defeated BJP’s State president Ravinder Raina in Jammu’s Nowshera constituency by a margin of 7,819 votes. Kumar’s appointment is seen as a crucial step towards bridging the political divide between Kashmir and Jammu regions.
The 2024 Assembly elections results reflected a complete polarisation, with the NC winning 35 of 47 seats from the Muslim-dominated Kashmir region, while the BJP grabbing 29 out of 43 seats in Hindu-majority Jammu.
Omar recently told reporters that there was a sharp divide between the two regions, and the new government must give a sense of ownership to the people of Jammu.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Omar visited the mausoleum of his grandfather, and Jammu and Kashmir’s tallest leader, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, and offered Fateh.
Guests
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by top leaders of the INDIA bloc. Since Wednesday evening, leaders from across the country have been flying in to Srinagar to participate in the ceremony. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge, DMK leader Kanimozhi, Left leaders D Raja and Prakash Karat, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP’s Supriya Sule were amongst those who attended the ceremony.
Fulfilled promise
Following the swearing-in, Omar told reporters that he had fulfilled his promise of giving representation to the people of Jammu.
“I had said that we will not let the people of Jammu feel that their voice is not heard in this government or they do not have representation. We chose the Deputy CM from Jammu so that they feel that the government is equally Jammu’s as it is ours,” Omar said.
He further said that three more cabinet posts would be filled soon.
Congress protest
Meantime, the Congress party expressed its displeasure over the Centre’s failure to restore statehood to J&K.
JKPCC Chief Tariq Hameed Karra in a statement said that they were not joining the ministry as the party was unhappy with the Union government for not restoring statehood.
He, however, said the party would continue to support the government from outside.
Earlier, Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid had suggested that the new government should not take oath unless the statehood was restored.
First directive
After taking over the reins of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister phoned the Director General of Police and instructed him not to halt traffic for his cavalcade.
The newly sworn-in Chief Minister posted on X: “I have spoken to the DG @JmuKmrPolice that there is to be no “green corridor” or traffic stoppage when I move anywhere by road. I have instructed him to minimise public inconvenience & the use of sirens is to be minimal. The use of any stick waving or aggressive gestures is to be totally avoided. I’m asking my cabinet colleagues to follow the same example. In everything our conduct must be people friendly. We are here to serve the people & not to inconvenience them.”
Earlier, the Chief Minister had upbraided the police administration on several occasions for halting the traffic for hours to pave the way for LG Manoj Sinha’s cavalcade.