Preparations in full swing for Omar Abdullah’s oath ceremony as J&K CM | India News – Times of India

Omar Abdullah (File photo)

Preparations are in full swing for the oath-taking ceremony of the National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah, who will be swearing in as the first chief minister of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah and his ministers will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha at 11.30 am.
Preparations have been put in place for the oath ceremony of the chief minister and his council of ministers at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on Wednesday, officials told news agency PTI.
Security has been tightened around the venue of the swearing-in ceremony, the officials said.
“The security has been beefed up especially as a lot of VVIPs will be attending the event. We will ensure the smooth conduct of the event,” the officials added.
Parties of the opposition INDIA bloc have also been invited to the oath-taking ceremony.
On Sunday, the President’s rule in the union territory was revoked nearly after six years, clearing the way for the formation of a new government following the recently concluded assembly elections.
Chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah on Friday had called on lieutenant governor and staked claim to form the National Conference-Congress alliance government.
During his meeting with Sinha, Abdullah presented the letters of support from the coalition partners, hours after Congress extended its support to the NC vice president.
Abdullah was unanimously elected as the leader of the NC legislature party, paving the way for his second term as the chief minister of J&K.
His first tenure as the chief minister was also as the head of the NC-Congress coalition government from 2009 to 2014.
The NC won 42 of the 90 seats for which elections were held in three phases with the alliance partner Congress bagging six seats.
Although the two parties have a majority in the 9o-member House, four Independents and the lone AAP MLA have also extended their support to the NC.