VIDEO | JKNC leader Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) takes oath as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. #JammuandKashmir #OmarAbdullah pic.twitter.com/xuCa2shBPn
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2024
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah took oath as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday at 11.30 am. The ceremony was held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. He is the first CM of Jammu and Kashmir after it was made a Union Territory.
Surinder Choudhary took oath as Deputy Chief Minister. Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha administered the oaths to the ministers.
Besides Abdullah and Choudhary, seven more MLAs from National Conference were also sworn in as ministers on Wednesday. Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary and Satish Sharma are the other ministers in the cabinet. Abdullah said the three remaining vacancies will be filled later.
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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra attended the meeting. The Congress, however, decided to back the new government from outside with sources suggesting that the party rejected the offer of a single cabinet berth.
Other leaders from INDIA bloc who attended the ceremony included Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, DMK MP Kanimozhi and NCP MP Supriya Sule. CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat and CPI leader D. Raja. PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti was also present.
Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress. @OmarAbdullah
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 16, 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Abdullah and wished him the best in his efforts to serve the people. Modi added that the Centre will work closely with Abdullah and his government for the progress of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ahead of the ceremony, the National Conference Vice President said that he “looks forward” to working in cooperation with the Centre, adding that being the chief minister of a Union Territory has its own challenges.
