Newly elected MLAs take oath
The newly elected MLAs were administered oath by pro tem Speaker Mubarak Gul in Srinagar on Monday.
The MLAs took oath in various languages such as Dogri, Sanskrit, English and Kashmiri. While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took pledge in Kashmiri, youngest MLA Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar took oath in Sanskrit. Senior BJP leader and MLA from Nagrota Devender Singh Rana took oath in Dogri. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary took oath in English.
There are 51 first-time MLAs among the 90 members elected to the J&K Assembly. Abdul Rahim Rather, NC MLA from Chrar-e-Sharief, is the oldest at 80. Rather and party colleague Ali Mohammad Sagar have been elected to the assembly for a record seven terms.
While Sagar has been a member of the Legislative Assembly since 1983, Rather started his long stint as a legislator in 1977. However, the former finance minister lost the 2014 Assembly elections.
The NC emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections held in September and October. The oldest political party of J&K has formed the government with external support from the Congress, which has six MLAs. Five independent MLAs, one MLA from the AAP and the CPI(M) have also extended their support. (With inputs from PTI)
