Omar Abdullah sworn in as first CM of UT Jammu and Kashmir

Omar Abdullah taking oath as CM of Jammun and Kashmir at SKICC in Srinagar
| Photo Credit: Imran Nissar

Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory on Wednesday (October 16, 2024). L-G Manoj Saxena administered him and his selected members the oath of office at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).

J&K as a Union Territory has only 10 Ministerial posts. “It is a red letter day. A new government is coming after 6.5 years. May god give strength to Omar Abdullah to raise people’s voice,” National Conference (NC) spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi,  Priyanka Gandhi, and party president Malikarjun Kharge attended the function. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI leader D Raja, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, DMK’s Kanimozhi, and NCP’s Supriya Sule were also present.

Ahead of the ceremony, Mr. Abdullah said on Wednesday (October 16, 2024) that working in cooperation with the government of India but being the CM of a Union Territory has its challenges.

“I have some strange distinctions. I was the last Chief Minister to serve a full six-year term. Now I’ll be the first Chief Minister of the Union territory of J-K. The last distinction, as in the one of serving six years, I’m quite happy about. Being a CM of a Union Territory is a different matter altogether. It has its own challenges,” Mr. Abdullah said.

“I hope that the status of a union territory is a temporary one. We look forward to working in cooperation with government of India to resolve the people’s problems and the best way to do that would be to start by restoring statehood to J-K,” he added.

All top leaders of the INDIA bloc have been invited by the NC to attend the ceremony of the government formation, which has taken place after 10 years and for the first time since J&K’s special status was abrogated in 2019.

Posters of Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other leaders like Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Prakash Karat and Kanimozhi were put up outside the Srinagar airport, welcoming them.

“Jammu Kashmir has gone through difficult times. People have many expectations and our challenge is to live up to them. We have a lot to do. We have to give people the hope that this is their government and they will be heard. They were not being heard for the last 5-6 years. It will be our responsibility to listen to them and act on it,” Mr. Abdullah added.

Congress-National Conference secured 48 seats, with the NC winning 42 and the Congress only six seats in the Jammu Kashmir assembly elections. Jammu and Kashmir has been under Presidential rule since 2018 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support from the coalition government with Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP).