Jammu and Kashmir is set to get its first elected government since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 (A) on Wednesday with the swearing-in of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah as chief minister along with the council of ministers.
The administration has made elaborate security arrangements around the venue, Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake, which is named after the founder of NC, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. Several former legislators, some of whom may take oath on Wednesday, were incarcerated here for several months after August 5, 2019, when the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir was revoked and the state bifurcated into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. J&K has been under central rule since June 2018.
NC and its ally Congress have invited several INDIA bloc leaders including Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Uddhav Thackery, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad, Arvind Kejriwal, D Raja and Brinda Karat.
SP leader Akhilesh Yadav arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday. He is likely to be joined by Supriya Sule of NCP and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi of DMK. “I want to congratulate the people of J&K for believing in democracy… This is a step towards restoration of full statehood and I hope it will be restored soon,” Yadav told media persons in Srinagar.
