Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir today in Srinagar. The ceremony will take place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), where Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will administer the oath of office to Abdullah and his council of ministers.
Security measures have been strengthened outside Abdullah’s residence ahead of the ceremony.
This will be the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of the former state into two Union Territories.
Omar Abdullah’s grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abullah, was the first Prime Minister of JK after its accession to India and later served as Chief Minister. Omar’s father Farooq Abdullah has been the CM of the erstwhile state thrice.
Leaders from the INDIA Bloc, including Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Prakash Karat, and Kanimozhi, have arrived in Srinagar to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Security measures around Abdullah’s residence have been heightened for the event.
The 90 seats in the region were contested in a three-phase election, with the results announced on October 8. NC-Congress alliance secured 48 seats, with the NC leading the alliance to victory, as the Congress won only six seats.
(Inputs from ANI)