Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after the National Conference won the region’s first assembly election following the abrogation of Article 370. The oath-taking ceremony for Abdullah and his ministers – Sakina Itoo, Javeed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, Javeed Dar, and Satish Sharma, took place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar, administered by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
This marks Abdullah’s second term, making him the third generation of the Abdullah family to hold the position, following his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah, and father Farooq Abdullah. The event saw significant attendance from leaders of the INDIA Bloc, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
However, the Congress party announced it would not join the council of ministers, expressing dissatisfaction over the lack of restored statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in public meetings. Omar Abdullah previously served as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full state.