Omar Abdullah, the National Conference leader took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. This marks the establishment of the Union Territorys first government in six years.

He has sworn in for his second term as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. His previous term as the CM was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.

Five MLAs took the Oath Alongside Omar Abdullah

The oath ceremony was held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). The oath of office to Omar Abdullah was presented by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11:30 am. Along with Abdullah, five Members of the Legislative Assembly also took oath as independent candidates. They will serve as the Ministers in the new Cabinet.

They are Sakina Itoo, Javeed Ahmad Dar, Javeed Ahmad Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma. Two of these ministers, Sakina Itoo and Javeed Ahmad Dar, are from the Kashmir Valley, while Javeed Ahmad Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma are from Jammu.

About Oath Taking Ceremony

The Ceremony was attended by Indias prominent leaders, including opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi, and Party President Malikarjun Kharge.

Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief, CPI leader D Raja, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, DMK’s Kanimozhi, and NCP’s Supriya Sule were also among those who were seen at the ceremony.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024

Additionally, the National Conference-Congress alliance secured victory this time in the assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 abrogation. The elections were held in three phases on September 18, October 1, and October 8, 2024. The National Conference Party secured 42 seats becoming the largest party, BJP won 29, Congress 6, PDP 3, and the rest went to others.

About Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah is the first Chief Minister of the Union territory of J&K. The state became a UT in 2019 as a part of the J&K Reorganization Act 2019. It also created a separate territory of Ladakh.

This is Abdullahs second term as CM. His grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was the first Prime Minister of J&K. He was also known as the Lion of Kashmir and played a prominent role in the regions politics and the states accession to India. He served as the regions PM from 1948 to 1953 and later also served as the CM twice. His first term was from 1975 to 1977 and his second term was from 1977 to 1982 until his death.

Before his first term as CM, Omar Abdullah was also a Member of Parliament. He served as the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 2001 to 2002.

He became the youngest and the 11th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after forming an alliance with Congress in 2009. He was also the youngest Lok Sabha Member, representing Srinagar Constituency of Jammu and Kashmir. He was also the Union Minister of State in Atal Bihari Vajpayees NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government from December 2001 to 2002. He resigned from the NDA government in October 2002 in order to concentrate on his work.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections in 2014

In 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) emerged largest by winning 28 seats. The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) secured 25 seats. While the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Party (NCP) led by Omar Abdullah got 15 seats, the Indian National Congress (INC) got 12 seats.

The PDP emerged as the largest party, securing 28 seats, However, they did not secure an outright majority. In order to form a stable government, the PDP entered into a coalition with BJP, which won 25 seats. This coalition enabled Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to take oath as the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in March 2015.

Following the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in January 2016, tThe initially formed coalition between PDP and BJP struggled with internal disagreements and external pressures. In June 2018, their alliance ended after the BJP decided to withdraw its support from the Coalition government led by Muftis daughter, Mehbooba Mufti. This decision was influenced by several factors including political differences and government issues.

Imposition of Presidents Rule

This led to the imposition of Governors Rule, followed by the Presidents rule in December 2018.

In 2019, the Indian government took a significant step by revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and reorganizing the state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.