Srinagar, 16 Oct

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, heading the first elected government in the Union territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated and one the Congress is staying away from for now.

As Jammu and Kashmir turned another page in its troubled history, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah and five ministers, including Surinder Choudhary from Jammu who is deputy chief minister.

Abdullah, who takes over as chief minister for a second term, is the third generation of the influential Abdullah family to occupy the office -- after his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah. His first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.

Congratulating Omar Abdullah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished him the best and said, "The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress." The five ministers sworn in were Choudhary, Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana and Satish Sharma -- three from Jammu and two from the Kashmir Valley, a clear effort to assuage some of the apprehensions of people in Jammu.

Choudhary is from Jammu as are Rana and Sharma. Itoo, the only woman minister, and Dar are from the Valley. While Abdullah took his oath in English, Choudhary did so in Hindi. "I had said that we will not allow Jammu to feel they do not have a voice or representatives in this government. I have chosen a deputy chief minister from Jammu so the people of Jammu feel that this government is as much theirs as it is of the rest," the new chief minister said soon after the ceremony at the Sher-i-International Convention Centre (SKICC).

He also said there are three vacancies and "they will gradually be filled". As speculation mounted whether those would go to alliance partner Congress - while the NC won 42, the Congress bagged six - the event was also an occasion for INDIA bloc leaders to demonstrate their unity.

The swearing-in ceremony of the NC government comes in the backdrop of the NC-Congress win in Jammu and Kashmir and the Congress loss to the BJP in Haryana. Among those who attended 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 was there as well.

JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the Congress will not join the council of ministers for the moment because it is “unhappy” that statehood has not been restored. He added in a statement that the Congress would continue to fight for the restoration of statehood to J-K.

NC rival and INDIA bloc partner, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, said the day was “very auspicious” as the people of Jammu and Kashmir have got their government after several years. “People have elected a stable government. People of Jammu and Kashmir suffered a lot especially after 2019, and we hope that this new government will heal the wounds we got," she said. "We hope that the government will pass a resolution condemning the decision of 5 August, 2019, that the people of J-K do not accept those decisions," she added.

The chief minister’s father, NC president Farooq Abdullah, bluntly spelt out the hurdles in the road ahead. “The state is full of challenges and I hope this government will do what it had promised in the election manifesto… It is a crown of thorns,” he said, hoping that Allah helps the new CM fulfil the hopes of the people.

Taking the cue from his grandfather, Zahir Abdullah, Omar Abdullah’s son, said the true struggle for the restoration of Article 370 will start after statehood. “Article 370 will always be our priority,” he said.

In 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

In an interview with PTI Videos before taking office, Omar Abdullah addressed speculation of a rift between NC and the Congress. “If all is not well, why would (Mallikarjun) Kharge (Congress president), Rahul (Gandhi) and other senior leaders of Congress be coming here. Their presence here is indicative of the fact that the alliance is strong, and we will work for the people (of J&K)."

Replying to a question about non-inclusion of any Congress MLA in his cabinet, he said the national party is not out of the cabinet. “It is for the Congress to decide. We have been in discussions with them. Principally around the fact that as a UT with a unicameral house, we don’t have the upper house. Therefore, the size of the government is severely restricted. Gone are the days when you would see 40 or 45 ministers," he said.

Terming Jammu and Kashmir's union territory status unfortunate, Abdullah said, “I have always maintained that our status as a UT is temporary one. We have commitments from the government of India, particularly from the prime minister, home minister and others that statehood will be restored to J-K and we hope that happens at the earliest".

Omar Abdullah's family, including his father and mother Molly Abdullah, his two sisters, and two sons were present on the occasion. Together, the NC and the Congress have a strength of 48, a majority in the 95-member assembly -- five members are to be nominated by the LG.