New Delhi: Chief Minister-elect and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Friday met Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar to stake claim to form the government after his party-led alliance with Congress secured victory with a majority in the recently concluded Assembly Elections on October 8.
“I met the lieutenant governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted the support letters from the National Conference, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI (M), and independent candidates. I requested him to fix a date so that the elected members can take their oaths and the elected government can start functioning,” said Omar.
Omar, who won elections in both Budgam and Ganderbal constituencies in Kashmir, mentioned that the oath-taking ceremony will be delayed since this is not a straightforward transition of power between two elected governments.
“Since Jammu and Kashmir is now a Union territory under Central rule, the lieutenant governor must first prepare the necessary documents and send them to Rashtrapati Bhavan. From there, the home ministry will review them, and once that process is completed, the documents will be sent back. We’ve been told this will take around two to three days,” Omar added.
This will be the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since 2018, when governor’s rule was implemented after the BJP withdrew its support from then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. It will also be the first government to take office following the abrogation of Article 370 and the delimitation of seats in the region.
Omar Abdullah elected leader, paves way for CM role
Omar was elected the leader of the National Conference legislature party on Thursday. His father and party chief Farooq Abdullah had, soon after the poll victory, announced that his Omar would be the chief minister of the Union Territory.
The Omar Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) on Thursday achieved a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly following the decision of four independent MLAs to join the party. With this induction, the NC’s strength in the Assembly rose to 46, which is exactly a majority mark in the assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 29 seats, with 28 Hindus and one Sikh elected, but none of their Muslim candidates, including two former ministers, managed to win.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) officially announced its support for the National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The AAP submitted a formal letter of support for the Omar Abdullah-led government to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
