Omar Abdullah to take oath as J&K CM, Cong & Independents unlikely to get Cabinet berths

Srinagar: The swearing-in ceremony of Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Wednesday will be attended by many top leaders of the INDIA bloc as sources said, adding that just four Ministers, all belonging to the National Conference (NC), will also take the oath.

Sources said no MLA from either the Congress or the Independents will be inducted as the Council of Ministers since the Cabinet will bear a clear stamp of Omar Abdullah.

Others likely to be sworn in on Wednesday include Surinder Choudhary, the NC MLA from Nowshera constituency in Rajouri district of Jammu division. He defeated the J&K BJP President, Ravinder Raina in the Nowshera constituency.

The other NC member of the Council of Ministers is likely to be Sakina Itoo, who won the election from D. H. Pora seat in the Kulgam district. She has served as a minister in Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah-led governments in the past.

Two more Ministers, mostly new faces from the NC, will also be sworn in on Wednesday.

Sources said no senior leader of the NC will be inducted into the Cabinet led by Omar Abdullah.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and other leaders of INDIA bloc are expected to attend oath ceremony scheduled for 11.30 a.m. at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar on Wednesday.

NC President Farooq Abdullah has invited senior leaders of all 21 parties of the INDIA bloc for the swearing-in ceremony of his son.

Among those who confirmed their attendance are Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and K.C. Venugopal.

Samajwadi Party President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, reached Srinagar on Tuesday to join the swearing-in ceremony. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh will also attend the ceremony.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin has deputed DMK MP Kanimozhi for the event as he had to stay at Chennai to monitor adverse weather conditions forecast for the state.

CPI (M) leader Prakash Karat also arrived here on Tuesday to attend Omar Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and NCP Chief, Sharad Pawar, has deputed his daughter and Lok Sabha member, Supriya Sule for the ceremony. Communist Party of India leader, D. Raja, will also attend the ceremony.

After being sworn in as the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah will chair a meeting of all the administrative secretaries at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in the Civil Secretariat. The Chief Minister will hold his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Security has been tightened for Wednesday’s swearing-in event. The traffic department has also issued an advisory restricting the movement of traffic on Boulevard Road, leading to the SKICC to ensure a smooth and hassle-free swearing-in ceremony.

Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, will administer the oath to the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers.