Six years after Jammu and Kashmir last had an elected government, National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah has been sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory. This marks his second term as head of the government, and the first elected administration in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370. The ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, with prominent leaders from the INDIA alliance in attendance.
Omar Abdullah has appointed Surender Choudhary, a leader from Nowshera in Jammu, as the Deputy Chief Minister, emphasizing his commitment to making the government inclusive and giving representation to different regions of J&K.
The Congress party, however, has opted to stay out of the ministry for the time being. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra cited the party’s dissatisfaction over the continued lack of statehood for J&K as the reason for their decision, stating, “We are unhappy; therefore, we are not joining the ministry at the moment.” He reaffirmed that Congress would continue its fight for the restoration of statehood.
Several national leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Farooq Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav, Mehbooba Mufti, Sanjay Singh, and D Raja, were present at the event.
Omar Abdullah addressed rumours of a rift between the NC and Congress over cabinet positions, clarifying that discussions were ongoing and that the Congress still has an opportunity to join the ministry. “Congress is not out of the cabinet. Their presence here shows that the alliance is strong, and we will work together for the people of J&K,” he said.
