Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, the first elected government in the union territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah, who takes over as chief minister for a second term and is the third generation of the Abdullah family to occupy the office -- after his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah.
INDIA Bloc leaders attended the event in full strength. Among those who had gathered at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) 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 also attended the event.
Abdullah's first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.
The National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats in the recent elections 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 LG.
The chief minister paid obeisance at the Hazratbal shrine ahead of his swearing-in, and prayed for the peace and prosperity of the union territory.
The shrine houses the holy relic of Prophet Mohammad, on the banks of the famous Dal Lake.
Earlier in the day, Abdullah visited the mausoleum of his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and grandmother nearby the shrine, and offered 'Fatiha khawani' (special prayers) there ahead of the swearing-in-ceremony.
"Omar Abdullah offered prayers at his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's mausoleum in Hazratbal, ahead of his swearing ceremony as the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory," the National Conference said.
Dressed in a Pathani suit and coat, the 54-year-old Abdullah offered floral tributes at the graveyard of the party founder.
Omar Abdullah on Wednesday expressed optimism that Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union territory for a long time and regain full statehood soon. Hours before taking oath of office, the National Conference leader told PTI Videos that all ministerial vacancies would not be filled at once but will be filled going ahead as “we are in talks with Congress and also from within my own team.”
On former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressing his willingness to share his experience with him on governing a ‘half-state’ like Delhi, Abdullah said, “I have a lot of lessons to learn. I learnt a lot of lessons in six years, made some mistakes and intend not to repeat those mistakes again because it is only a fool who keeps repeating the same mistakes again and again".
The new CM 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 National Conference leader told reporters after being sworn in.
Five ministers -- Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary and Satish Sharma -- also took the oath of office.There are three vacancies and "they will gradually be filled", Abdullah said.
"I had said that we will not allow Jammu to feel that they do not have a voice or representatives in this government. I have chosen a deputy chief minister from Jammu so that the people of Jammu feel that this government is as much theirs as it is of the rest," he said.
"Obviously, there is a lot of nervousness but I have enormous faith in the almighty and he will show the way and I will do the best that I can," he added.
