Omar Abdullah to take oath as CM, cabinet berths for Cong, Independents unlikely

Srinagar: Several prominent members of the INDIA group are expected to attend Omar Abdullah's swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). However, just four ministers—all of whom are members of the National Conference (NC)—will also take the oath of office.

No MLA from the Independents or the Congress, according to sources, will be a part of the Council of Ministers since Omar Abdullah will be clearly represented in the Cabinet.

Others likely to be sworn in on Wednesday include Surinder Choudhary, the NC MLA from Nowshera constituency in Rajouri district of Jammu division. He defeated the J&K BJP President, Ravinder Raina in the Nowshera constituency.

The other NC member of the Council of Ministers is likely to be Sakina Itoo, who won the election from D. H. Pora's seat in the Kulgam district. She has served as a minister in Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah-led governments in the past.

Two more Ministers, mostly new faces from the NC, will also be sworn in on Wednesday.

Sources said no senior leader of the NC will be inducted into the Cabinet led by Omar Abdullah.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and other leaders of INDIA bloc are expected to attend the oath ceremony scheduled for 11.30 a.m. at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar on Wednesday, IANS reported.

NC President Farooq Abdullah has invited senior leaders of all 21 parties of the INDIA bloc for the swearing-in ceremony of his son.

Among those who confirmed their attendance are Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and K.C. Venugopal.

Samajwadi Party President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, reached Srinagar on Tuesday to join the swearing-in ceremony. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh will also attend the ceremony.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin has deputed DMK MP Kanimozhi for the event as he had to stay in Chennai to monitor adverse weather conditions forecast for the state.

CPI (M) leader Prakash Karat also arrived here on Tuesday to attend Omar Abdullah's swearing-in ceremony. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and NCP Chief, Sharad Pawar, has deputed his daughter and Lok Sabha member, Supriya Sule for the ceremony. Communist Party of India leader, D. Raja, will also attend the ceremony.

After being sworn in as the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah will chair a meeting of all the administrative secretaries at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in the Civil Secretariat. The Chief Minister will hold his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Security has been tightened for Wednesday's swearing-in event. The traffic department has also issued an advisory restricting the movement of traffic on Boulevard Road, leading to the SKICC to ensure a smooth and hassle-free swearing-in ceremony.

Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, will administer the oath to the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers.