Omar Abdullah takes oath as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first elected government in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

This also followed the bifurcation of the state into a Union Territory. Abdullah was administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

This is Abdullah’s second term as Chief Minister, having previously held the position from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir had full statehood. His family has a long political legacy, with his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah also serving as chief ministers.

Five ministers were sworn in alongside Abdullah, including Sakina Masood (Itu), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Chaudhary, and Satish Sharma. While Itu and Dar hail from the Kashmir Valley, the others represent the Jammu region.

However, the Congress, which partnered with the National Conference in the elections, declined to join the government. Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Tariq Hamid Kara expressed discontent over the continued denial of statehood, stating that the Congress would not join the cabinet for the time being.