Omar Abdullah Sworn In as J&K's First UT Chief Minister

Election Results and Government Formation

• National Conference (NC) party won the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir since the repeal of Article 370
• NC-Congress alliance secured 48 out of 90 Assembly seats
• National Conference emerged as the single largest party with 42 seats, Congress won 6 seats
• Omar Abdullah unanimously elected as leader of the NC Legislature Party
• Congress opted out of joining the cabinet, citing demand for restoration of statehood

Swearing-in Ceremony Details

• Held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar
• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office
• Ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 16, 2024
• Five MLAs sworn in as ministers: Satish Sharma (Independent), Sakina Itoo, Javid Dar, Sunrinder Chowdhury, and Javid Rana (all from NC)
• Four Cabinet posts remain vacant for future expansion
• Surinder Singh Choudhary appointed as Deputy Chief Minister, representing Jammu region

Political Significance and Attendees

• First elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370
• Omar Abdullah becomes the first Chief Minister of J&K as a Union Territory
• This marks Omar Abdullah's second term as Chief Minister (previous term: 2009-2014)

Notable attendees from the INDIA alliance:

• • Congress leaders: Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge
  • Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav
  • Left leaders: Prakash Karat and D Raja
  • DMK's Kanimozhi
  • NCP's Supriya Sule
  • PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti
• Omar Abdullah paid tributes at his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah's mausoleum before the ceremony