Omar Abdullah returns to lead J&K

Srinagar, Oct 16: Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, marking a significant moment as he became the head of the first elected government of J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha appointed Omar as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at a ceremony held at SKICC.

Further, as advised by the Chief Minister, the LG appointed Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Sakina Itoo, Javed Ahmed Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma as members of his Council of Ministers (CoM).

The LG administered the Oaths of Office and Secrecy to these members of the CoM.

Dressed in a black Sherwani and sporting his signature Sozni cap, Omar took oath at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), named after the title designated to his grandfather, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.

After the constitutional changes of August 5, 2019, SKICC was designated a subsidiary jail where members of J&K’s political leadership were held for months.

This marks Omar Abdullah’s second tenure as chief minister, following his previous stint from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a state.

The National Conference (NC) leader now leads a government in the Union Territory (UT) after a prolonged period of political uncertainty following the revocation of J&K’s special status in 2019.

Joining him in the government is Surinder Choudhary from Jammu, who has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister, signalling a deliberate effort by Omar Abdullah to balance regional representation between Kashmir and Jammu regions.

In the 2014 assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s J&K unit president Ravinder Raina won the Nowshera seat by defeating Choudhary, who was then fighting on a PDP ticket, by a margin of over 10,000 votes.

Choudhary resigned from the PDP in 2022 to join the BJP before ending his over-a-year-long association with the party to join the NC in July last year.

Choudhary, along with three other ministers from Jammu – Javed Rana and Satish Sharma - and two from Kashmir, Sakina Itoo and Javed Dar, were sworn in during the ceremony.

Itoo is the only woman minister in the cabinet.

The swearing-in was attended by prominent leaders from the opposition INDIA bloc, demonstrating unity within the coalition.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI (M) leader Prakash Karat, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti, were present to witness the event.

Mufti, whose PDP has seen diminished political influence since 2019, called the day “auspicious,” saying that the people of J&K finally have their own government after years of hardship.

She expressed hope that the new government would help heal the wounds inflicted by the 2019 changes and even pass a resolution condemning the abrogation of Article 370.

Addressing the reporters on the lawns of SKICC after the oath-taking ceremony, Omar Abdullah reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Jammu feels represented in his government.

“I have chosen a Deputy Chief Minister from Jammu so that the people of Jammu feel that this government belongs to them as much as it does to the people of Kashmir,” he said.  “Three cabinet positions will be filled gradually.”

The NC and Congress had forged a strong alliance in the run-up to the election, with the NC securing 42 seats and Congress winning six in the 95-member assembly.

However, the Congress opted not to join the government for now, citing their discontent over the lack of restoration of statehood.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra said that while Congress would support the NC, the party’s priority remains to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

NC President Farooq Abdullah struck a cautious tone while acknowledging the challenges ahead for the new government.

“It is a crown of thorns,” he said while urging his son to fulfil the promises made during the election campaign.