OMAR Abdullah, chairman of the National Conf­erence (NC) party, was sworn in as chief minister of India-held Kashmir on Wednesday — heading the first government to be formed following the BJP-led government’s move to revoke the disputed region’s special status in 2019, NDTV reported.

Manoj Sinha, a member of the ruling BJP who ser­ves as the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir, administered the oath of office to Mr Abdullah.

This will be his second stint at the CM of the territory, having previously served in this capacity from 2009 to 2014.

He is the grandson of Sheikh Abdullah and the son of Farooq Abdullah, both of whom were also former chief ministers of held-Jammu and Kashmir.

No Congress members in six-member cabinet

Mr Abdullah’s party, which won the most seats in a three-phase election earlier this year, is stau­nchly opposed to the move to abrogate Article 370, which granted the disputed territory a semi-autonomous status. It is a member of the INDIA opposition alliance, led by the Indian National Congress.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who attended the oath-taking alongside his sister Priyanka, extended his congratulations to Mr Abdullah in a post on X. At the same time, he said “government formation without statehood felt incomplete today.”

“Democracy was snat­ched from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and today we renew our pledge to continue our fight until statehood is fully restored,” Deutsche Welle quoted Mr Gandhi as saying.

According to DW, the NC victory is being seen as backlash against PM Narendra Modi’s decision.

Modi, in a post on X, congratulated Abdullah on becoming chief minister: “Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K’s progress.”

Mr Abdullah made his electoral debut in the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, becoming the youngest member of parliament at the time.

In 2009, he succeeded Ghulam Nabi Azad to become chief minister of India-held Kashmir, being the youngest person to hold that position as well.

The absence of Congress members from his cabinet raised eyebrows. NC’s Surinder Choudhary has been appointed deputy chief minister, while other members of the cabinet include Sakina Ittoo, Javed Rana, Javed Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma, The Statesman reported.

According to a report in the Indian Express, in his first comments after taking oath, Mr Abdullah said, “We will not let Jammu feel that they do not have a voice or representation in the current government. We have brought in a deputy CM to ensure this and this will be our endeavour going forth as well.”

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024