'No green corridor...stick-waving': Omar Abdullah's 1st order as J&K CM
Omar Abdullah, in his first decision as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, chose public convenience over protocol. He has asked the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police not to create any "green corridor" or stop traffic for him. Abdullah has also ordered no stick waving or aggressive gestures should be used by security personnel during his travels. He also urged his cabinet colleagues to follow suit, stressing that their conduct should be people-friendly.
Abdullah urges cabinet to adopt people-friendly conduct
"We are here to serve the people and not to inconvenience them," he wrote on X. The National Conference (NC) leader was sworn in as J&K CM on Wednesday. This is the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since its special status was revoked in 2019. Along with Abdullah, five ministers were also sworn into office: Sakina Masood (Itoo) and Javed Dar from Kashmir Valley, and Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma from the Jammu region.
NC-Congress alliance forms new government in J&K
NC MLA Surinder Singh Choudhary, who defeated J&K's BJP chief Ravinder Raina, was made deputy CM. The new government has been formed after assembly elections were held between September 18 and October 1. The NC-Congress alliance won a majority with 48 seats out of 90. The NC won 42 out of 90 seats in the assembly elections, while the Congress won just six seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) increased its tally from 25 seats in 2014 to 29 seats.
Congress demands statehood restoration, opts out of cabinet
The Congress opted out of the new Cabinet, demanding statehood restoration for J&K as promised by the Centre. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the party was unhappy with the Centre's delay in restoring full statehood to J&K and was therefore not joining the ministry. According to reports, the Congress sought two ministries but was offered only one.
