'We have a lot to do', says newly elected J&K CM Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Oct 16 in a grand ceremony presided over by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

Top leaders from the India alliance — Leader of Opposition Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi attended the ceremony.

Surinder Kumar Choudhary, a prominent face from the Jammu region, was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister. Along with National Conference (NC) leader Abdullah, the four other legislators who were sworn in the new government of the union territory include — Sakina Itoo, Javeed Rana, Javeed Dar, and Satish Sharma.

Congress, which is part of the INDIA alliance and won 6 seats in the recent J&K elections, has announced that they will not be a part of the Abdullah-led government but will support it.

This is the first elected government in the union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 over five years ago and overall after a decade. This follows the revocation of the president's rule, paving the way for a new government after the recent Assembly polls.

Pertinently, polls for 90 seats in the union territory were held in three phases, and results were announced on Oct 8. NC-Congress alliance secured 48 seats, with the NC leading the alliance to victory, as the Congress won only six seats.

Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, Abdullah (54) was quoted as saying that he "looks forward" to working in cooperation with the government of India but being the chief minister of a union territory has its own challenges. He reiterated his demand for statehood status in Jammu and Kashmir.

"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 am quite happy about it.” he said.

“Being a CM of a Union Territory is a different matter altogether. I hope that the status of a union territory is temporary. We look forward to working in cooperation with the 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," Abdullah added.

Before proceeding to the oath-taking venue on Oct 16, Abdullah paid his respects at the Mazar-e-Anwar — grave of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, his grandfather and the first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar.

Speaking to reporters after offering prayers, Omar emphasized the significance of his government being accountable to the people. "We have a lot to do," he said. "We need to re-assure the people that this government is theirs, and their voices will be heard. For the past 5-6 years, they've been ignored, but it's our responsibility to listen and act on their concerns," he added.

National Conference chief and three-time J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party chief and former chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Aam Aadmi Party leader, Sanjay Singh, Communist Party of India leader, D Raja, and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi were also present at the ceremony.

Jammu and Kashmir came under the President’s rule in June 2018, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support from the coalition government with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The move was followed by the resignation of the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. In August 2019, Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution were revoked by the Centre, and J&K was divided and re-classified into two Union territories, J&K and Ladakh.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Chief Tariq Hameed Karra on Oct 16 said in a statement that the Congress party is not joining the ministry in the new government at the moment.

“Congress has strongly demanded from the Center to restore Statehood to J&K. Prime Minister Modi has time and again in public meetings promised the same. But the Statehood has not been restored to J&K. We are unhappy therefore we are not joining the ministry at the moment,” Kara said, adding, “Congress shall continue to fight for the restoration of Statehood.”