The National Conference (NC) party chairman, OMAR Abdullah, took office as chief minister of India-held Kashmir on Wednesday. He headed the first cabinet to be established after the BJP-led government decided to withdraw the disputed region’s special status in 2019, according to NDTV.
The oath of office was given to Mr. Abdullah by Manoj Sinha, a member of the ruling BJP and the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
He served as the territory’s CM from 2009 to 2014, therefore this will be his second term in that role.
He is the son of Farooq Abdullah and the grandson of Sheikh Abdullah, both of whom served as held-Jammu and Kashmir’s previous chief ministers.
Six-member cabinet with no members of Congress
The party of Mr. Abdullah, which emerged victorious in a three-phase election earlier this year, is adamantly opposed to the proposal to repeal Article 370, which gave the disputed territory a degree of semi-autonomy. It is a part of the Indian National Congress-led opposition alliance in INDIA.
In a post on X, Congressman Rahul Gandhi, who was present at the oath-taking with his sister Priyanka, congratulated Mr. Abdullah. He said, “Government formation without statehood felt incomplete today.” at the same moment.
Mr. Gandhi was cited by Deutsche Welle as saying, “Today we renew our pledge to continue our fight until statehood is fully restored.” Democracy was snatched from the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The NC win is interpreted by DW as a protest against PM Narendra Modi’s choice.
In a post on X, Modi wished Abdullah well in his endeavors to serve the people and congratulated him on being the chief minister. For J&K’s advancement, the Center will collaborate closely with him and his group.
In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Abdullah made his electoral debut and attained the status as the youngest member of parliament.
He was the youngest person to assume the role of chief minister of India-held Kashmir, having succeeded Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2009.
People took notice when he appointed no members of Congress to his cabinet. The Statesman said that Sakina Ittoo, Javed Rana, Javed Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma are among the cabinet members, along with Surinder Choudhary of North Carolina, who has been named deputy chief minister.
