Srinagar: As the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is set to see its first elected government being sworn in on Wednesday, the chief minister designate, Omar Abdullah, and his cabinet will be taking oath in the city's Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of the Dal Lake.
The National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah was invited by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday to administer the oath to him and his cabinet.
"I am pleased to invite you to form and lead the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. As separately settled, I shall administer Oath of Office and Secrecy to you, and to those recommended by you for induction as members of your Council of Ministers, at SKICC, Srinagar on 16 October, 2024 at 11:30 am," Sinha said in the letter, which the LG's principal secretary Dr. Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, handed over to the CM designate.
Omar will have a support of 55 legislators which will make the government stable and strong. Besides the NC's 42 legislators Omar's government will have the support of six Congress legislators, five independents who extended support to NC and one each legislator from CPI (M) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Truncated Cabinet Post-Article 370 Abrogation
However, Omar's cabinet will be truncated and small as per the J&K reorganisation Act implemented post-Article 370 abrogation on August 5, 2019 . The Act says that council of ministers have to be 10 percent of the total members of the legislative assembly, which means that besides being the chief minister himself, Omar's cabinet will have eight ministers. Given the small number of the ministers, Omar has little and hard choice to make in the cabinet from his party and the allies.
A senior leader in the NC told ETV Bharat said that the list will be finalised by Tuesday evening and all the regions of Kashmir, Jammu, Pir Panjal and Chenab valley will be given voice and representation as has been declared the CM designate himself.
Likely Faces In Omar's New Cabinet
Sources in the NC indicate that the senior NC leader Rahim Rather might be nominated as pro-tem speaker of the assembly and later he might be elected as the speaker.
The NC leader said the the legislators whose names are making rounds in the party's power circles include MLA Trehgam in Kupwara district and former law minister Mir Saifullah, the woman leader and MLA DH Pora Sakeena Itoo; the "giant killer" from Nowshera Surinder Choudhary who defeated BJP JK president Ravinder Raina; independent MLA from Chammb Satish Sharma, who has extended support to NC; senior Gujjar leader from Pir Panjal, Javed Rana who was elected from Mendhar constituency of Poonch district; independent MLA from Inderwal constituency of Doda Pyare Lal Sharma, and some young face of the NC, who may also be included into the cabinet.
The leader said that Javed Rana, Suridner Choudhary, Satish Sharma, Pyare Lal Sharma are likely to be accommodated to give fair representation to Pir Panjal, Jammu and Chenab valley.
Congress, which is the major alliance partner of the NC has now reduced chances of bargaining for more berths given its small number of legislators and after the five independents bolstered Omar's support.
A senior leader in Congress told ETV Bharat that the names of the legislators from the party in the new cabinet will be finalised by the party high command in New Delhi by today evening. "Our party might get one cabinet berth or two at the maximum," the leader told ETV Bharat, requesting anonymity.
Sources in the Congress said that MLA Anantnag and former minister Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed has bright chances to be included in the cabinet as Tariq Karra, the Pradesh Congress Committee president of Jammu and Kashmir and Ghulam Ahmad Mir, AICC general secretary are both occupied with party posts for running the party affairs in Jammu and Kashmir and the poll-bound Jharkhand, respectively.
Sources in NC said that to evade dissent among the legislators, Omar has also suggested rotational ministers for the party legislators during the five years of the government.
The six-year longest spell of the president's rule imposed on Jammu and Kashmir UT on October 19, 2019, two months after the abrogation of Article 370 and downgrading the state into union territories on August 5, 2019, ended on 13 October 2024, after the conclusion of the assembly elections.
Read more:
- Omar Abdullah Cabinet Swearing-In: NDA Leaders Likely To Attend
- President's Rule Revoked in Jammu Kashmir, Stage Set for New Govt to Assume Charge
