National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday took oath as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the NC-Congress alliance won the maiden assembly elections held after the abrogation of Article 370.
The oath of office and secrecy was administered to Abdullah’s chosen ministers by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11.30 am at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday morning to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
However, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin will not be attending the swearing-in owing to the IMD issuing a ‘red alert’ due to the northeast monsoon. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also attended the oath ceremony.
Omar Abdullah’s first term, from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state, was also under an NC-Congress coalition government.
He paid obeisance at the Hazratbal shrine here ahead of his swearing-in, and prayed for the peace and prosperity of the union territory. The shrine houses the holy relic of Prophet Mohammad, on the banks of the famous Dal Lake here. Locals welcomed the chief minister designate and showered toffees on him.
Hours ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, the Congress has taken a call to stay out of the government and provide outside support. While sources confirmed that the Congress will not be a part of the government, the party’s top leadership was tight-lipped over the issue.
As the UT government can have only 9 ministers, including the CM, Omar was expected to allot one Cabinet berth for the grand old party, which won just six seats in Assembly polls.
In the first Assembly election held in the UT after the abrogation of Article 370, the NC won 42 out of the 90 seats. Omar was unanimously elected the leader of the NC Legislature Party earlier. Omar’s first stint as Chief Minister, from 2009 to 2014 in the erstwhile state, was also under an NC-Congress coalition government.
