Congress Not Part of Omar Abdullah-Led Cabinet in J&K, To Support From Outside

Srinagar: As National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Wednesday said it has decided not to join the council of ministers in the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir government as the party was "unhappy" that statehood was not restored to the Union territory.

Speaking on the matter, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra said that the Congress has strongly demanded from the Centre to restore statehood to J-K, besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again in public meetings promised the same.

Karra said, “Congress Party is not joining the Ministry in Jammu and Kashmir government at the moment. Congress has strongly demanded from the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, besides the Prime Minister has time and again in public meetings promised the same. But the statehood has not been restored to J&K. We are unhappy, therefore we are not joining the Ministry at the moment.” He also reiterated the Congress party’s commitment to continue fighting for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Omar Abdullah, who has been elected as the leader of the NC Legislature Party, was sworn in by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. This is Abdullah's second term as chief minister and the first government formed in Jammu and Kashmir after its reorganization as a union territory following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Besides Omar Abdullah, five ministers -- Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma -- took the oath of office.

Several prominent leaders from the opposition INDIA bloc were present at the ceremony to show support for Abdullah. Among them were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi , Priyanka Gandhi Vadra , and Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav , CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, CPI's D. Raja, DMK's Kanimozhi, and NCP's Supriya Sule. AAP leader Sanjay Singh and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were also in attendance.

The National Conference, led by Abdullah, secured 42 seats in the recent 90-member legislative assembly elections. With its ally, the Congress , which won six seats, the coalition holds a majority in the 95-member assembly, including five nominated members. This marks a significant political shift in the region, which has been without an elected government since 2019 when it was reorganized into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Omar Abdullah's first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.