Omar Abdullah is set to be sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir since it became a Union Territory, following the National Conference’s (NC) victory in the region’s first Assembly election since the revocation of Article 370.
The swearing-in ceremony, including Abdullah and his council of ministers, will take place today at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), according to reports.
The ceremony will be officiated by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11:30 am. Speaking of the duration, the oath-taking ceremony of Omar Abdullah might last between five to 10 minutes.
Invitations have been extended to key leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance, including Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Other notable invitees include NCP President Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, DMK’s M K Stalin, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal. However, it remains unclear which leaders will attend.
The invitation for Abdullah’s swearing-in was issued by the Lieutenant Governor after the president’s rule in the Union Territory was revoked.
Abdullah was unanimously elected leader of the NC Legislature Party on October 11, paving the way for his second term as Chief Minister. His first term ran from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a state, governed by an NC-Congress coalition.
In the recent elections, the NC won 42 out of 90 seats, while Congress secured six. With the support of five Independent MLAs-elect and one from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the alliance holds a majority in the 95-member assembly.
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