Srinagar, Oct 14: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday invited the Chief Minister designate Omar Abdullah and his council of ministers to take oath of office and secrecy on October 16.
“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 16th October 2024 at 11:30 a.m,” said the LG in his letter to Omar.
“I take this opportunity to wish you a highly productive tenure and success in your endeavors in the best interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
LG also noted that has received a letter on October 11, 2024, from Dr. Farooq Abdullah, President, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, informing him that Omar has been unanimously elected as Leader of the Legislature Party.
“I have also received a letter from Shri Tariq Hameed Karra, President, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, G. N. Malik, Secretary, CPI(M), Pankaj Kumar Gupta, National Secretary, Aam Aadmi Party and Independent MLAs namely, Payare Lal Sharma, Satish Sharma, Ch. Mohd. Akram, Dr. Rameshwar Singh, and Muzafar Iqbal Khan offering support in the formation of the Government led by you,” he said
On Friday, the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance staked the claim to form government in Jammu and Kashmir as chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha here.
During his meeting with Sinha, Abdullah presented the letters of support from the coalition partners, hours after Congress extended its support to the NC vice president.
“Earlier this evening, Chief Minister-designate @OmarAbdullah called on the Honorable Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, @manojsinha_, at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar to stake his claim to form the next government in Jammu and Kashmir. He also submitted all the letters of support. The Raj Bhawan (@OfficeOfLGJandK) has informed that the procedure for the revocation of the President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir commenced tonight and is expected to take 3-4 days. The Chief Minister and his ministers will take the oath as soon as these procedures are completed,” NC tweeted.
A government spokesman said Omar Abdullah called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhawan. Omar handed over a letter from the Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah stating that he has been elected as Leader of the Legislature Party of JKNC. Letters of support from INC, CPI(M), AAP, and independent members were also handed over to the Lieutenant Governor.
Abdullah was unanimously elected as the leader of the NC legislature party on Thursday, paving the way for his second term as the chief minister of J-K.
His first tenure as the chief minister was also as the head of the NC-Congress coalition government from 2009 to 2014.
The NC won 42 of the 90 seats for which elections were held in three phases with the alliance partner Congress bagging six seats. Although the two parties have a majority in the 95-member House, four Independents and the lone AAP MLA have also extended their support to the NC.
Talking to reporters at his residence after returning from the Raj Bhavan, Abdullah said he requested the LG to fix a date for the new government’s swearing-in at the earliest.
“I met the LG and presented the letters of support from the NC, Congress, CPI(M), AAP, and Independents who have supported the NC. I requested him to fix a date as soon as possible so that the oath ceremony takes place and the government elected by the people starts functioning,” the CM-designate said.
He said the oath ceremony is likely to take place on Wednesday.
“This process will take some time. It is not that an elected government is replacing another elected government. This is a central rule, we are a Union Territory, and the LG has to prepare documents and send them to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“From the Rashtrapati Bhavan, they will go to the Home Ministry where they will do their paperwork and then the documents will be sent back. We have been told that it will take at least three days. I hope that if this process is completed at the earliest, then the oath ceremony will take place on Wednesday,” Abdullah added.
