SRINAGAR: Omar Abdullah took oath as the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led the swearing-in ceremony for Abdullah and his chosen team at the Sheri-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).
Among those who were sworn in as ministers are Surender Choudhary, NC MLA from Nowshera, Sakeena Itoo, NC MLA from Damhal Hanjipora, Javed Rana, NC MLA from Mendhar, Javed Dar, NC MLA from Rafiabad, and Satish Sharma, an independent MLA from Chhamb, who is backing the NC-Congress coalition.
Sources revealed that three more members will be inducted when the cabinet is expanded shortly.
The Congress party, which contested the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in a pre-election alliance with the National Conference, managed to secure only six seats. It has opted not to participate in Omar Abdullah’s cabinet.
Insiders from the Congress indicated that the party prefers to support Abdullah’s administration from the outside rather than join the cabinet. The National Conference reportedly offered Congress one ministerial position, but the latter was dissatisfied, demanding two. However, given the limitation that only nine ministers, including the Chief Minister, can serve in the 90-member J&K Assembly, the National Conference declined to allocate more than one position.
Congress’s six-seat result is its worst performance in the region, down from the 12 seats it won in the 2014 elections. To placate the Congress, the National Conference has also offered one of the four unfilled Rajya Sabha seats from J&K.