PM congratulates Omar Abdullah, pledges Centre’s support for J&K’s progress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Omar Abdullah on his swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The Prime Minister extended his best wishes to the National Conference leader and assured that the central government will work closely with the Union Territory for its development.
“Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K’s progress,” PM Modi tweeted.
Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister on Wednesday morning after the National Conference-Congress alliance secured a majority in the first election in nearly a decade and the first since the abrogation of Article 370, ending the erstwhile state’s special status and bifurcating into the Union Territories.
After taking the oath, the 54-year-old leader said, “Our endeavour will be to take everyone along”.
Abdullah appointed party leader Surender Choudhary from Jammu’s Nowshera as his deputy, while five ministers–Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma–also took the oath of office.
The National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats, while Congress secured six in the 95-member assembly. Five members are to be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor.
This is Abdullah’s second term as Chief Minister. His first term ran from 2009 to 2014, when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state. He is the third-generation leader from the Abdullah family to hold the office, following his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah.