Srinagar, October 16: Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir today. The ceremony will take place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, with J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administering the oath of office to Abdullah and his council of ministers.
Security has been tightened around Omar Abdullah’s residence ahead of the event.
The swearing-in comes after the Congress-NC alliance secured 48 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, with the NC winning 42 and Congress six seats. This marks the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of the state into two Union Territories.
Omar Abdullah, grandson of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah—the first Prime Minister of J&K after its accession to India and later Chief Minister—and son of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, previously served as J&K’s CM from 2009 to 2015. He also held the position of Union Minister of State for External Affairs in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s NDA government from 2001 to 2002.
Jammu and Kashmir had been under President’s rule since 2018, following the collapse of the coalition government between the BJP and Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The revocation of President’s rule, following recent Assembly elections, paved the way for the formation of a new government.
In a letter shared by Omar Abdullah on X, LG Sinha confirmed the swearing-in: “I shall administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to you and your Council of Ministers at SKICC, Srinagar on 16th October, 2024.”
Several leaders from the INDIA Bloc have arrived in Srinagar to attend the ceremony, including Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Supriya Sule (NCP), Prakash Karat (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), and D Raja (CPI). The JKNC shared photos of the leaders arriving for the event on social media, marking the occasion as a significant political milestone in J&K’s post-Article 370 era.
