National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will be sworn in as the new chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16. Abdullah shared the news on X, posting a letter from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, inviting him to form the government.
“Was pleased to receive the Principal Secretary to LG Manoj Sinha ji. He handed over a letter from the @OfficeOfLGJandK inviting me to form the next government in J-K,” Abdullah wrote.
This development follows the revocation of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir. On Sunday, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a gazette notification lifting the rule, paving the way for the formation of the new government after the recent Assembly elections.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, read with articles 239 and 239A of the Constitution of India, the Order dated the 31st October 2019 in relation to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall stand revoked immediately before the appointment of the Chief Minister,” the notification stated.
This will mark the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the former state into two Union Territories in 2019.
The elections for the 90-member Assembly were held in three phases, with results announced on October 8. The National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance won 48 seats, with the NC leading the alliance. Congress secured only six seats in the coalition victory.
Abdullah’s return to the chief minister’s office will be his second term, having previously served from 2009 to 2015.