Omar all set to be sworn in as J&K Chief Minister today

The National Conference (NC) has reached out to INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Omar Abdullah as the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar on Wednesday.

“There are a lot of expectations from the new government. The Centre needs to restore Statehood soon and grant all the powers to the government to provide relief to the public,” said NC president Farooq Abdullah a day ahead of his son’s swearing-in ceremony.

The ceremony will take place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal lake. The government is being formed after 10 years and for the first time since J&K was stripped of its special status in 2019.

Nine inductions likely

Around nine Ministers are likely to be sworn in on Wednesday with J&K as a Union Territory having only 10 ministerial posts. “It is a red-letter day. A new government is coming after six and a half years,” said NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar.

The Congress, which is part of the coalition in J&K, on Tuesday appointed Ghulam Ahmad Mir as the Congress Legislature Party leader, paving the way for his likely entry into the Cabinet.

Besides the Gandhis, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will also attend the function. Others invited for the ceremony include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin (whom Kanimozhi will represent), Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad.

NC sources said Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, NCP MP Supriya Sule, CPI leader D. Raja and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat have also been invited. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and the SP president have already arrived in Srinagar, they added.

“I congratulate the people of Kashmir. They have reposed their trust in democracy, elected their government and safeguarded the Constitution. The next step is to restore full Statehood of J&K. I have full faith in Omar Abdullah. He will fulfil his responsibilities as the next Chief Minister,” Mr. Yadav said after arriving on Tuesday.

Published - October 16, 2024 01:35 am IST