Omar Abdullah sworn in as J&K CM

SRINAGAR: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took oath as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, heading the first elected government in the Union territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated. The NC’s alliance partner Congress is staying away from the government for now.

As Jammu and Kashmir turned another page in its troubled history, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah and five ministers, including Surender Choudhary from Jammu who is deputy chief minister.

Choudhary is a former member of the PDP and the BJP who was chosen by Omar Abdullah to be his deputy. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday chose party leader Surender Choudhary from Nowshera in Jammu as his deputy, saying he did so to give a voice to people of the region and make his government inclusive.

“Our endeavour will be to take everyone along,” the NC leader told reporters after being sworn in. He said Choudhary — a former member of the PDP and the BJP who emerged a giant killer when he defeated BJP’s J&K president Ravinder Raina from Nowshera by 7,819 votes — was chosen as deputy chief minister so people of Jammu do not feel left out from the government.

Abdullah, who takes over as chief minister for a second term, is the third generation of the influential Abdullah family to occupy the office — after his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah.

His first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.Congratulating Omar Abdullah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished him the best and said, “The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K’s progress.”

The five ministers sworn in were Choudhary, Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana and Satish Sharma -- three from Jammu and two from the Kashmir Valley, a clear effort to assuage some of the apprehensions of people in Jammu.Rana and Sharma are also from Jammu region. Itoo, the only woman minister, and Dar are from the Valley. While Abdullah took his oath in English, Choudhary did so in Hindi.“I had said that we will not allow Jammu to feel they do not have a voice or representatives in this government. I have chosen a deputy chief minister from Jammu so the people of Jammu feel that this government is as much theirs as it is of the rest,” the new chief minister said soon after the ceremony at the Sher-i-International Convention Centre (SKICC).

He also said there are three vacancies and “they will gradually be filled”. As speculation mounted whether those would go to alliance partner Congress - while the NC won 42, the Congress bagged six - the event was also an occasion for INDIA bloc leaders to demonstrate their unity.

Among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Left leaders Prakash Karat and D Raja, DMK’s Kanimozhi and NCP’s Supriya Sule. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti was there as well.

JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the Congress will not join the council of ministers for the moment because it is “unhappy” that statehood has not been restored. He added in a statement that the Congress would continue to fight for the restoration of statehood to J-K.

NC rival and INDIA bloc partner, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, said the day was “very auspicious” as the people of Jammu and Kashmir have got their government after several years.NC president Farooq Abdullah said: ``The state is full of challenges and I hope this government will do what it had promised in the election manifesto… It is a crown of thorns.’’

The new chief minister said that to avoid inconvenience to the people, there will be no ‘green corridor’ for him while he moves by road.

Less than three hours after taking charge, Abdullah posted on X: “I have spoken to the DG @JmuKmrPolice that there is to be no ‘green corridor’ or traffic stoppage when I move anywhere by road. I have instructed him to minimise public inconvenience & the use of sirens is to be minimal.”

In his first term as the chief minister from 2009 to 2014, Abdullah set an example by directing his cavalcade to follow traffic signals.

“The use of any stick waving or aggressive gestures is to be totally avoided. I’m asking my cabinet colleagues to follow the same example. In everything our conduct must be people friendly. We are here to serve the people & not to inconvenience them,” the chief minister said. In the Assembly elections held recently, the National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats while alliance partner Congress bagged six. Together, the two pre-poll allies hold a majority in the 95-member assembly -- five members are to be nominated by the L-G. with agency inputs