Omar Abdullah to take oath as J&K CM today in Srinagar; Rahul, Kharge, Priyanka to attend, 8 ministers to be inducted

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are scheduled to attend Omar Abdullah's oath-taking ceremony as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar today, October 16

Abdullah will be sworn in as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In the first term, Abdullah was the chief minister of the erstwhile state between January 5, 2009 and January 8, 2015. The National Conference-Congress alliance won the maiden assembly elections held after the abrogation of Article 370.

The oath of office and secrecy will also be administered to Abdullah's eight chosen ministers by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11.30 am at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. One minister in Abdullah's cabinet will be from the alliance partner Congress.

"Rahul Gandhi, Kharge ji, and Priyanka ji are scheduled to participate in the oath ceremony tomorrow," a senior Congress leader told PTI. He said that some chief ministers and representatives of some states will also attend the event.

INDIA bloc leaders to attend

Samajwadi Party chief, Akhilesh Yadav reached Srinagar on Tuesday afternoon. More than half a dozen INDIA bloc leaders, including Prakash Karat, D Raja, Kanimozhi, are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

The party high command has conveyed the decision on ministerial berths for Congress MLAs in the new government, he added. The party appointed Ghulam Ahmad Mir as its Legislature Party leader in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

The NC won 42 seats while the Congress won 6 seats. The majority got further strengthened with the  backing of five Independent MLAs and one MLA from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Security has been tightened around the venue of the swearing-in ceremony.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under President’s rule since June 2018, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support from its coalition government with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

(With PTI inputs)