National Conference Vice president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday was sworn as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at SKICC Srinagar.
Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and his Minister of Council was administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre. This marks Abdullah’s second stint as Chief Minister, having previously served from 2009 to 2015.
The five Cabinet minsters who took oath are Satish Sharma, Sakina Itoo, Javid Dar, Surinder Chowdhury & Javid Rana.
Surinder Kumar Choudhary has been appointed as deputy chief minister by Omar Abdullah. He contested from Nowshera and defeated BJP leader Ravinder Raina.
Senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal, national general secretary,
Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, CPI (M) leader Prakash Karat were among other leaders who were present today in swearing-in ceremony.
Omar will chair a meeting of all Administrative Secretaries at 3 PM today in the Civil Secretariat.
Sources said Omar Abdullah will chair first meeting of the Cabinet within two days after today’s swearing-in ceremony.
Pertinently, Abdullah’s National Conference party and its allies secured 49 seats in the 2024 in Legislative Assembly election, paving the way for his return as Chief Minister. Prior to this, he met with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on October 11 to discuss the formation of the new government.
Abdullah’s political career spans over two decades, with notable roles including Union Minister of State for External Affairs and President of the National Conference party.(GNS)
