Omar Abdullah takes oath as chief minister of J&K

As the sunlight of Wednesday fell on Kashmir Valley, National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) at 11.30 am at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. 

Other ministers who took oath on Wednesday include Sakina Yattoo, Surindar Kumar Choudhary, Javed Rana, Javeed Dar and Satish Sharma.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath-taking ceremony of Abdullah and his ministers.

J&K CM’s comeback after decade

The 54-year-old Omar Abdullah is upbeat about the mandate the people gave him to become the Chief Minister of J&K for the second time, but there are some pitfalls awaiting him.

On the eve of the swearing-in, the guessing game over who would be a part of Omar’s Cabinet continued.

Under the J&K Reorganisation Act, the state government can have only nine ministers, including the CM. Omar must ensure representation to both Jammu and Kashmir provinces, and several different ethnicities, given the complexities of the UT, within that limited number.

The house that Omar Abdullah occupied as the CM, and was made to vacate after abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of the rule that provided every former CM an official accommodation till life, has been freshly painted and refurbished.

He is expected to shift to this residence on the high-security Gupkar Road, a stone’s throw away from the residence of his father, NC Chief and former CM Farooq Abdullah, on the same street.

People were seen lined up outside the residence of the Abdullahs in the morning to greet Omar Abdullah on his new assignment.

As Chief Secretary, Atul Dulloo and DGP Nalin Prabhat had come to call on the incoming Chief Minister, the people outside were politely told to wait till the junior Abdullah was free to meet them.

Given his experience of running J&K for the last 4 years, it is fair to expect that Manoj Sinha will support and allow space to the elected government. More than the Lieutenant Governor acting as the guide and support giver to Omar Abdullah, the latter needs to realise that he is the Chief Minister of a Union Territory where his and his council of ministers' power are no longer the same as they were in the past.

The question of who reigns and who rules will have to be kept aside by the incoming chief minister as long as he wants to deliver on promises of development, healthcare, education, tourism, civic amenities, etc.

Applying himself to contentious issues will deprive Abdullah of both time and strength, and he can continue his fight for statehood without bringing other developmental priorities to a standstill.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)