Gandhis to attend Omar Abdullah oath event as J&K gets government after 10 years

Omar Abdullah is set to take the oath as the first chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir since it became a Union Territory, following his National Conference (NC) party’s victory in the region’s first Assembly election since the abrogation of Article 370.
Preparations have been finalised for the swearing-in ceremony of the chief minister and his council of ministers at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) today, news agency PTI reported while citing officials.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah and his ministers at 11:30 am.
Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are among top leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc present for the ceremony.
Addressing reporters in Srinagar, the NC leader said “we have a lot to do” and assured that his government will hear the grievances of the people of the union territory.
“We have to give people the hope that this is their government, and they will be heard. They were not being heard for the last 5-6 years. It will be our responsibility to listen to them and act on it,” he added.
The NC has invited INDIA alliance leaders to attend today’s ceremony.
The invitation for the swearing-in ceremony was also sent to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. NCP President Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, and DMK’s MK Stalin. Other key invitees include Uddhav Thackeray from Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal.
However, as per the National Conference (NC) Kashmir provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani, it is not clear who will be attending the ceremony.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday invited Omar Abdullah to take the oath as the J&K chief minister. The invitation came a day after the government revoked the president’s rule in the Union Territory.
In a letter addressed to Omar Abdullah, Sinha said, “I have received a letter of 11th October 2024 from Dr. Farooq Abdullah, President, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, wherein it has been informed that you have been unanimously elected as Leader of the Legislature Party.”
On Thursday, the National Conference (NC) Legislature Party unanimously elected Omar Abdullah as its leader, paving the way for his second term as Chief Minister. His first term, from 2009 to 2014, took place when Jammu and Kashmir was still a full-fledged state, under an NC-Congress coalition government.
In the recent elections, the NC secured 42 out of 90 seats, while the Congress won six. Together, the two pre-poll allies command a majority in the 95-member assembly, which includes five members to be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor.
Their majority is further strengthened by the backing of five Independent MLAs-elect and one MLA-elect from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).