Omar Abdullah takes oath as J&K CM, picks deputy from Jammu

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir today. With this, the UT got its first elected government since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

• Editorial: Omar takes charge

In the presence of senior INDIA bloc leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Omar at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). Omar has become the Chief Minister of J&K for the second time.

Five ministers were also sworn in during the ceremony. In a bid to maintain regional balance, the National Conference government inducted Surinder Kumar Choudhary, who defeated J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina from the Nowshera constituency in the Jammu region, as the Deputy Chief Minister, while Sakina Itoo, Javed Ahmed Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma took oath as ministers.

Due representation given to Jammu

Omar said he had fulfilled his commitment regarding giving due representation to Jammu so that people “do not feel that they don’t have a voice or representative in the government”.

Itoo and Dar are from Kashmir, while Rana, Choudhary and Sharma are from the Jammu region. With two ministers and a Deputy Chief Minister now from the Jammu region, Omar has allayed fears that the newly elected government would not have any representation from Jammu since the BJP won 29 seats in this region. Omar said he had fulfilled his commitment regarding giving due representation to Jammu so that people “do not feel that they don’t have a voice or representative in the government”.

“I have appointed a Deputy CM so that people of Jammu feel that the government belongs to them just as much as it does to others,” Omar said, adding that three vacancies would be filled gradually.

In a surprise development this morning, the Congress, NC’s pre-poll alliance partner, announced that it had decided against joining the government over reasons such as “statehood not having been restored in J&K”.

After taking oath as the CM, Omar said he had asked the J&K DG not to have a “green corridor” in place or stop traffic whenever he moved around by road.

“I have instructed him to minimise public inconvenience. There should be minimal use of sirens. I’m asking my Cabinet colleagues to follow the same example,” he wrote on X. “…Our conduct must be people friendly. We are here to serve the people and not to inconvenience them,” he said.

Hours after the government took oath, Omar visited the Civil Secretariat where he received a guard of honour. He also chaired a meeting of officers at the Secretariat.

In the morning, Omar visited the Hazratbal shrine ahead of the oath ceremony.