Omar Abdullah Sworn in: The First Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory

On Wednesday, Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. The ceremony took place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre, where Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath. Abdullah’s council of ministers also took their oaths, including National Conference MLAs Javed Ahmed Rana from Mendhar, Javid Ahmad Dar from Rafiabad, Sakina Itoo from DH Pora, and Surinder Kumar Chowdhary. Additionally, Independent MLA Satish Sharma from Chhamb joined Abdullah’s cabinet.

Prominent political figures attended the ceremony. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among the guests. Leaders from the INDI bloc, such as Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule, DMK MP Kanimozhi, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, and CPI leader D Raja, also witnessed the event. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti was present as well.

This milestone follows the Congress-National Conference alliance, which secured 48 seats in the recent assembly elections. Notably, the National Conference won 42 seats while Congress captured six. This marks the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the transformation of the state into two Union Territories.

Omar Abdullah’s family has a rich political history. His grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was the first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after its accession to India. Omar previously served as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2015 and held the position of Union Minister of State for External Affairs from 2001 to 2002. The region had been under Presidential rule since 2018 after the BJP withdrew support from the coalition with Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP. Recently, the Presidential rule was revoked, allowing for a new government following the assembly polls.