J&K UT gets its first elected CM as Omar Abdullah takes oath

Srinagar, Oct 16: Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday amid tight security, following his National Conference party's victory in the recent elections.

Senior NC leader Surinder Choudhary took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

This marks Abdullah’s first term as Chief Minister since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the bifurcation of the former state into two Union Territories

The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administering the oath to Abdullah and his council of ministers.

NC leaders Javed Dar, Sakeena Ittoo, Javed Rana, Surendar Choudhary, and Satish Sharma Chamb took oath as cabinet ministers of Jammu and Kashmir.

Surendar Choudhary took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

Attending the ceremony were key political figures, including Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who arrived at SKICC to witness the event, news agency NVI reported.

All National Conference leaders were present at the oath-taking ceremony to support Omar Abdullah as he took the oath as Chief Minister.

Jammu and Kashmir will have an elected government for the first time in 10 years after the state assembly was dissolved in 2018.

In J&K's 90 assembly seats, the NC and Congress have won in 48, the BJP in 29, and the PDP in three. AAP's Mehraj Malik has handed the Arvind Kejriwal-led party its first-ever electoral win in Jammu and Kashmir.