Srinagar- Stage is set for Omar Abdullah to take oath as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir following the victory of his National Conference in the maiden assembly election after the abrogation of Article 370.
Preparations have been put in place for the oath ceremony of the chief minister and his council of ministers at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on Wednesday, officials said.
The chief minister and his ministers will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11:30 am.
Security has been tightened around the venue of the swearing-in ceremony, the officials said.
“The security has been beefed up especially as a lot of VVIPs will be attending the event. We will ensure the smooth conduct of the event,” the officials added.
Invitations to attend the oath ceremony have been sent to the constituents of the INDIA bloc.
National Conference (NC) Kashmir provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani said it was not clear yet who all will be attending the ceremony.
“We will get to know about the VVIP attendees later this evening after receiving their confirmation,” Wani said.
Sinha on Monday invited the NC vice president to take oath as the J&K chief minister.
The invitation came a day after the Centre revoked the President’s rule in the Union Territory.
In a letter to Abdullah, Sinha said, “I have received a letter of 11th October, 2024 from Dr. Farooq Abdullah, President, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, wherein it has been informed that you have been unanimously elected as Leader of the Legislature Party.”
He said he has also received a letter from Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) secretary G N Malik, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta and Independent MLAs-elect Payare Lal Sharma, Satish Sharma, Mohammad Akram, Rameshwar Singh and Muzafar Iqbal Khan extending their support to the NC.
“I am pleased to invite you to form and lead the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. As separately settled, I shall administer Oath of Office and Secrecy to you, and to those recommended by you for induction as members of your Council of Ministers, at SKICC, Srinagar on 16th October, 2024 at 11:30 a.m,” Sinha said in his letter.
The LG’s emissary had handed over the letter to Abdullah and informed him about the date and time of the swearing-in ceremony.
There is a possibility that eight to nine ministers will also be administered the oath by the J&K’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Reliable sources said that while Omar will take oath as the first CM of the UT, those who would be sworn in as the ministers include Sakina Itoo, the woman face of NC, Justice (Rtd) Hasnain Masoodi, Abdur Rahim Rather, Ali Muhammad Sagar while as Jammu region will also be given representation in the form of Javaid Rana, Surinder Chouhdary and Satish Sharma. Sources said from the Congress which is the alliance partner of NC, J&K PCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra may be included in the council of ministers as well. This way, there will be eight ministers in the Omar led cabinet
Abdullah was unanimously elected the leader of the NC Legislature Party on Thursday, setting the stage for his second term as chief minister. His first term, from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state, was also under an NC-Congress coalition government.
The NC won 42 out of the 90 seats which went to poll in the recent elections, while the Congress won six. Together, the two pre-poll allies hold a majority in the 95-member assembly — five members are to be nominated by the LG.
Their strength is further bolstered by the support from five Independent MLAs-elect and a lone AAP MLA-elect.
Security Beefed Up In & Around SKICC
All arrangements have been put in place with security being tightened in and around the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar ahead of tomorrow’s swearing-in ceremony of Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
A senior security official said that given the high-profile nature of the event and the presence of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, comprehensive security protocols are being put in place to ensure the smooth functioning of the ceremony.
The last time an assembly election was held in the erstwhile state was in 2014, leading to a People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government. However, that government collapsed in June 2018, and Jammu and Kashmir was placed under President’s rule. In 2019, the region was bifurcated into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—after the abrogation of Article 370, stripping the region of its special status.
Today’s oath-taking ceremony will be a symbolic event as Jammu and Kashmir transitions from nearly six years of central rule to an elected government, with Omar Abdullah at the helm as Chief Minister.
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