National Conference leader Omar Abdullah to take oath as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The event will be held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on Wednesday under tight security.
Abdullah and his ministers will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11:30 am.
In the first elections since the abrogation of Article 370, the National Conference- Congress alliance had stormed into power winning 48 seats. Five Independent MLAs and a lone AAP MLA too have extended support to the NC-Congress alliance.
Abdullah was also the last chief minister to serve a full six-year term.
Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, Abdullah told reporters that he would ensure the government listened to the people. "We have a lot to do. We have to give people the hope that this is their government and they will be heard. They have not been heard for the last 5-6 years. It will be our responsibility to listen to them and act on it," said Abdullah.
The chief minister-designate has already vowed to restore statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. "I hope that the status of a union territory is a temporary one. We look forward to working in cooperation with the government of India to resolve the people's problems and the best way to do that would be to start by restoring statehood to J&K," he added.
Abdullah also offered floral tributes at the Mazar-e-Anwar of 'Sher-e-Kashmir' Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, in Srinagar. Omar Abdullah’s grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was the first Prime Minister of JK after its accession to India and later served as Chief Minister. Omar’s father Farooq Abdullah has been the CM of the erstwhile state thrice.
Besides Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, many INDIA bloc leaders will also take part in the oath-taking ceremony. Akhilesh Yadav, Prakash Karat, Supriya Sule, and Kanimozhi have arrived in Srinagar to attend the oath-taking ceremony. The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) shared pictures of leaders in a post on X.