National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday, took oath as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

With this, he became the first CM of the J&amp;K UT which lost its statehood after the reorganisation and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Omar Abdullah at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

Along with him, five MLAs, including an Independent, took oath as Cabinet Ministers while there was no Congress representation in the new government.

The Independent MLA who took oath as the minister is Satish Sharma. He defeated former Deputy CM and senior Congress leader Tara Chand from the Chhamb Assembly seat in the Jammu district.

The leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, CPI leader D. Raja and others attended the ceremony.

The National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah was also there. He had declared that his son, Omar Abdullah would be the CM soon after the trends during the counting on October 8 showed his party was leading.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra said that the Congress was not joining the ministry at the moment. After failing to get two ministerial berths in the cabinet, the Congress decided to support the NC government from the outside.

After taking the oath, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair a meeting of all the administrative secretaries at the Srinagar Civil Secretariat.

It is important to mention that no senior leader of the National Conference has been able to get a berth in the cabinet

Security was enhanced in Srinagar city ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience. 
&nbsp;

National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday, took oath as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, he became the first CM of the J&K UT which lost its statehood after the reorganisation and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday, took oath as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, he became the first CM of the J&K UT which lost its statehood after the reorganisation and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Omar Abdullah at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. Along with him, five MLAs, including an Independent, took oath as Cabinet Ministers while there was no Congress representation in the new government. The Independent MLA who took oath as the minister is Satish Sharma. He defeated former Deputy CM and senior Congress leader Tara Chand from the Chhamb Assembly seat in the Jammu district. The leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, CPI leader D. Raja and others attended the ceremony. The National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah was also there. He had declared that his son, Omar Abdullah would be the CM soon after the trends during the counting on October 8 showed his party was leading. Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra said that the Congress was not joining the ministry at the moment. After failing to get two ministerial berths in the cabinet, the Congress decided to support the NC government from the outside. After taking the oath, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair a meeting of all the administrative secretaries at the Srinagar Civil Secretariat. It is important to mention that no senior leader of the National Conference has been able to get a berth in the cabinet Security was enhanced in Srinagar city ahead of the oath-taking ceremony. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

India: Omar Abdullah becomes first CM of J&K UT, no seat for ally Congress in cabinet

The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKN) and Congress (INC) alliance are all set to form a government in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, winning the first elections in the region in over 10 years and the first after the abrogation of Article 370.

The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKN) and Congress (INC) alliance are all set to form a government in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, winning the first elections in the region in over 10 years and the first after the abrogation of Article 370. Here is the full list of winners and losers in the Jammu Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024. Following an impressive performance by the party in the elections, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday (Oct 8) declared that Omar Abdullah will become the next chief minister of the UT. While briefing the media outside his house, Farooq Abdullah said, "People have given their mandate; they have proven that they don't accept the decision that was taken on August 5...Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister." Omar Abdullah secured victory with over 16,000 votes against PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam seat. Here is the full list of winners in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls 2024. Have a look: Candidate Party Constituency Status Javaid Ahmad Mirchal JKN Karnah WON Saifullah Mir JKN Trehgam WON Mir Mohammad Fayaz JKPDP Kupwara WON Irshad Rasool Kar JKN Sopore WON Javid Ahmad Dar JKN Rafiabad WON Javid Hassan Baig JKN Baramulla WON Pirzada Farooq Ahmed Shah JKN Gulmarg WON Irfan Hafiz Lone INC Wagoora - Kreeri WON Javaid Riyaz JKN Pattan WON Hilal Akbar Lone JKN Sonawari WON Nizam Uddin Bhat INC Bandipora WON Nazir Ahmad Khan JKN Gurez (ST) WON Mian Mehar Ali JKN Kangan (ST) WON Salman Sagar JKN Hazratbal WON Ali Mohammad Sagar JKN Khanyar WON Shamim Firdous JKN Habbakadal WON Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed JKN Lal Chowk WON Mushtaq Guroo JKN Channapora WON Tanvir Sadiq JKN Zadibal WON Mubarik Gul JKN Eidgah WON Tariq Hameed Karra INC Central Shalteng WON Omar Abdullah JKN Budgam WON Shafi Ahmad Wani JKN Beerwah WON Saif Ud Din Bhat JKN Khansahib WON Advocate Abdul Rahim Rather JKN Chrar-i-Sharief WON Ali Mohammad Dar JKN Chadoora WON Hasnain Masoodi JKN Pampore WON Rafiq Ahmad Naik JKPDP Tral WON Waheed Ur Rehman Para JKPDP Pulwama WON Ghulam Mohi Uddin Mir JKN Rajpora WON Showkat Hussain Ganie JKN Zainapora WON Shabir Ahmad Kullay IND Shopian WON Sakeena Masood JKN D.H. Pora WON Gulam Ahmad Mir INC Dooru WON Zafar Ali Khatana JKN Kokernag (ST) WON Abdul Majeed Bhat JKN Anantnag West WON Peerzada Mohammad Syed INC Anantnag WON Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri JKN Srigufwara - Bijbehara WON Reyaz Ahmad Khan JKN Shangus - Anantnag East WON Altaf Ahmad Wani JKN Pahalgam WON Payare Lal Sharma IND Inderwal WON Shagun Parihar BJP Kishtwar WON Sunil Kumar Sharma BJP Padder - Nagseni WON Mehraj Malik AAAP Doda WON Shakti Raj Parihar BJP Doda West WON Arjun Singh Raju JKN Ramban WON Sajad Shaheen JKN Banihal WON Baldev Raj Sharma BJP Shri Mata Vaishno Devi WON Pawan Kumar Gupta BJP Udhampur West WON Ranbir Singh Pathania BJP Udhampur East WON Balwant Singh Mankotia BJP Chenani WON Sunil Bhardwaj BJP Ramnagar (SC) WON Dr Rameshwar Singh IND Bani WON Satish Kumar Sharma BJP Billawar WON Darshan Kumar BJP Basohli WON Rajiv Jasrotia BJP Jasrota WON Dr. Bharat Bhushan BJP Kathua (SC) WON Vijay Kumar BJP Hiranagar WON Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal BJP Ramgarh (SC) WON Surjeet Singh Slathia BJP Samba WON Chander Parkash BJP Vijaypur WON Rajeev Kumar BJP Bishnah (SC) WON Gharu Ram BJP Suchetgarh (SC) WON Dr. Narinder Singh Raina BJP R.S. Pura – Jammu South WON Vikram Randhawa BJP Bahu WON Yudhvir Sethi BJP Jammu East WON Devender Singh Rana BJP Nagrota WON Arvind Gupta BJP Jammu West WON Sham Lal Sharma BJP Jammu North WON Surinder Kumar BJP Marh (SC) WON Surinder Kumar Choudhary JKN Nowshera WON Iftkar Ahmed INC Rajouri (ST) WON Javid Iqbal JKN Budhal (ST) WON Choudhary Mohammed Akram IND Surankote (ST) WON Javed Ahmed Rana JKN Mendhar (ST) WON Khursheed Ahmad Shiekh IND Langate WON Kuldeep Raj Dubey BJP Reasi WON Mohan Lal BJP Akhnoor (SC) WON Muzaffar Iqbal Khan IND Thannamandi (ST) WON Sajad Gani Lone JKPC Handwara WON Satish Sharma IND Chhamb WON Sajjad Shafi JKN Uri WON Omar Abdullah JKN Ganderbal WON Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami CPI(M) Kulgam WON Peerzada Feroze Ahamad JKN Devsar WON Ajaz Ahmed Jan JKN Poonch Haveli WON Qaysar Jamshaid Lone JKN Lolab WON Daleep Singh BJP Bhadarwah WON Khurshied Ahmed JKN Gulabgarh (ST) WON Randhir Singh BJP Kalakote - Sunderbani WON

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections Results 2024: Check full updated list of winners

Exit poll predictions for the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir announced on Saturday (Oct 5) indicated a close contest, with predictions showing the National Conference-Congress alliance in the lead and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following close behind.

Exit poll predictions for the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir announced on Saturday (Oct 5) indicated a close contest, with predictions showing the National Conference-Congress alliance in the lead and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following close behind. Here's what pollsters are predicting: NDTV Poll of Polls: NC-INC: 46-50 seats BJP: 23-27 seats PDP: 7-11 seats Others: 4-7 seats Matrize: BJP: 25 seats Congress: 12 seats NC: 15 seats PDP: 28 seats Others: 7 seats Dainik Bhaskar: NC-Congress: 35-40 seats BJP: 20-25 seats Independents: 12-16 seats PDP: 4-7 seats Gulistan: NC-Congress: 31-36 seats BJP: 28-30 seats Independents: 19-23 seats PDP: 5-7 seats C-Voter: NC-Congress: 30-48 seats BJP: 27-32 seats PDP: 6-12 seats Independents: 6-11 seats People's Pulse: NC-Congress: 46-50 seats BJP: 23-27 seats PDP: 7-11 seats Independents: 6-10 seats "It is only in the Exit polls that Congress-NC has got these seats, but BJP will emerge as the biggest party once the correct results are out. We are confident of getting more than 35 seats in Jammu province and the remaining from Kashmir. BJP will be in a better condition in Kashmir...Talks are going on with like-minded parties," said BJP leader Kavinder Gupta on exit polls. "People of Jammu and Kashmir have voted for peace, security, brotherhood, development and employment. Congress and National Conference will together form a strong government there and work for peace along with the Union government," said Congress leader Harish Rawat. Also read: Haryana exit polls: Congress eyes comeback in Haryana after a decade; BJP projected to miss third term The elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in three phases, covering all 90 seats of the assembly, with voting concluding peacefully on October 1. This marked the first assembly election in the region since Article 370 was revoked. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the overall voter turnout was 63.88 per cent. In the third phase, held on October 1, the voter turnout was recorded at 69.69 per cent. The first and second phases saw turnouts of 61.38 per cent and 57.31 per cent, respectively. (With inputs from agencies)

J&K exit polls: NC-Congress may secure most seats with no clear majority; BJP hot on their trail

Indian Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday (Sep 18) voted in phase one of assembly polls, the first after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said that the tentative voter turnout across the 24 assembly seats stood at 59 per cent. The turnout was expected to increase as voting was still going on in remote areas of the Pir Panjal Mountain range.

The voting process concluded without any untoward incident or violence. A multi-cornered contest was observed in most of the seats as major local parties as well as Jamaat-e-Islami backed independent candidates entered the electoral fray.

The voter turnout rate didn’t see any major change from the 2014 assembly polls held in the region. As per the data from the ECI, the 2014 polls saw a voter turnout rate of 60.19 per cent.

Interestingly, regions most affected by militancy in the Shopian district recorded higher turnout than the previous elections. However, voter turnout in the neighbouring Pulwama district dropped by a couple of percentage points.

Of all, the biggest drop was witnessed in the Shangus-Anantnag segment where only 52.94 per cent of voters exercised their voting rights. The figure in previous elections 10 years ago stood at 68.78 per cent.

Similarly, in the Damhal Hanjipora segment, just 52.94 per cent of people showed up at the polling booths, against 69 per cent 10 years back.

Kokernag, now designated as a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes following the delimitation, experienced a turnout decline of over seven percentage points, with only 58.00 per cent of the electorate participating in the voting process.

The Inderwal segment, however, reported an 80 per cent turnout, an increase from the 75.72 per cent recorded a decade ago. In contrast, the neighbouring Kishtwar constituency saw a decrease in turnout from 78.23 per cent to 75.04 per cent.

(With inputs from agencies)

Indian Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday (Sep 18) voted in phase one of assembly polls, the first after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said that the tentative voter turnout across the 24 assembly seats stood at 59 per cent.

Indian Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday (Sep 18) voted in phase one of assembly polls, the first after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said that the tentative voter turnout across the 24 assembly seats stood at 59 per cent. The turnout was expected to increase as voting was still going on in remote areas of the Pir Panjal Mountain range. The voting process concluded without any untoward incident or violence. A multi-cornered contest was observed in most of the seats as major local parties as well as Jamaat-e-Islami backed independent candidates entered the electoral fray. The voter turnout rate didn’t see any major change from the 2014 assembly polls held in the region. As per the data from the ECI, the 2014 polls saw a voter turnout rate of 60.19 per cent. Interestingly, regions most affected by militancy in the Shopian district recorded higher turnout than the previous elections. However, voter turnout in the neighbouring Pulwama district dropped by a couple of percentage points. Of all, the biggest drop was witnessed in the Shangus-Anantnag segment where only 52.94 per cent of voters exercised their voting rights. The figure in previous elections 10 years ago stood at 68.78 per cent. Similarly, in the Damhal Hanjipora segment, just 52.94 per cent of people showed up at the polling booths, against 69 per cent 10 years back. Kokernag, now designated as a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes following the delimitation, experienced a turnout decline of over seven percentage points, with only 58.00 per cent of the electorate participating in the voting process. The Inderwal segment, however, reported an 80 per cent turnout, an increase from the 75.72 per cent recorded a decade ago. In contrast, the neighbouring Kishtwar constituency saw a decrease in turnout from 78.23 per cent to 75.04 per cent. (With inputs from agencies)

Jammu-Kashmir assembly polls phase 1: Voter turnout stands at 59%, no violence reported

The upcoming assembly elections in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are getting more and more interesting with every passing day. This election is witnessing a major change in the ideologies in the Kashmir valley and separatism is getting&nbsp;converted&nbsp;into the mainstream. Dozens of Kashmiri separatists and their family members have decided to join electoral politics, and some are gaining ground with huge public participation in their rallies.

Ajaz Ahmad Guru, whose brother, Afzal Guru, was convicted of attacking the Indian Parliament, officially entered the political arena by filing his nomination papers as an independent candidate for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections from the Sopore constituency.&nbsp;This development comes 11 years after Afzal&nbsp;was executed in Tihar Jail.

Ajaz, who took voluntary retirement from his position at the Animal Husbandry Department in 2014, is currently working as a contractor.

He has expressed his commitment to addressing the longstanding issues in Sopore, including employment opportunities, infrastructure development, and youth rehabilitation. He emphasised that the region has been "neglected by previous leaders," underscoring his desire to bring about meaningful change.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiWs8DX9b-IAxUUSmwGHUNqFCYQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/two-terrorists-killed-in-jks-udhampur-757881" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/two-terrorists-killed-in-jks-udhampur-757881&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiWs8DX9b-IAxUUSmwGHUNqFCYQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE">India: Security forces gun down two terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir`s Udhampur, operation underway</a>

"The reason to enter Politics is that we have gone through a lot in the last 35 years. I cannot tell you anything in two minutes, it's a story of three decades,"&nbsp;said Ajaz Ahmad Guru.

Another candidate is the jailed cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, who is known as Sarjan Barkati and was a prominent face of protest rallies in the valley after the killing of Hizb Commander Burhan Wani.

Sarjan and his wife both have been in custody and their daughter has come out and filed her father's nomination papers from Ganderbal and Beerwah assembly constituencies. Interestingly, Sarjan would be up against the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah for the&nbsp;Ganderbal seat.

"I believe in the democracy of India, and I have full faith in it and that's why I am here. We are going to Beerwah as well. Democracy means where people are powerful, Sarjan saab has equal right to fight elections as someone outside the jail has. If he wants to come to this side of the fence he should be allowed to do so. I am hoping that people will support him. He is a political prisoner and ECI has made it very easy for people. His daughter and son are living like orphans, and no one has gone to help them,"&nbsp;said Adil Nazir, Representative of Barkati.

The other political leaders also include Syed Saleem Geelani of&nbsp;the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and&nbsp;former head of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party&nbsp;(JKNPP); Javid Hubbi, the son of former Hurriyat leader Ghulam Mohammad Hubbi; Aga Muntazir Mehdi, contesting from&nbsp;Budgam is a&nbsp;prominent Shia cleric and the son of Hurriyat executive member Aga Syed Hassan.&nbsp;

The list also includes Altaf Ahmad Bhat, a candidate of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) from&nbsp;Rajpora who is&nbsp;a social worker from South Kashmir’s Pulwama and the brother of jailed leader Bashir Ahmad Bhat, popularly known as Peer Saifullah.&nbsp;

Kaleemullah, the son of the Jamaat's former general secretary Ghulam Qadir Lone. An engineer from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, who recently finished his doctorate, Kaleemullah is contesting from Langate in North Kashmir’s Kupwara.

Additionally, Munir Khan, the brother of jailed Hurriyat leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan, is also planning to contest.

The upcoming assembly elections in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are getting more and more interesting with every passing day. This election is witnessing a major change in the ideologies in the Kashmir valley and separatism is getting converted into the mainstream.

The upcoming assembly elections in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are getting more and more interesting with every passing day. This election is witnessing a major change in the ideologies in the Kashmir valley and separatism is getting converted into the mainstream. Dozens of Kashmiri separatists and their family members have decided to join electoral politics, and some are gaining ground with huge public participation in their rallies. Ajaz Ahmad Guru, whose brother, Afzal Guru, was convicted of attacking the Indian Parliament, officially entered the political arena by filing his nomination papers as an independent candidate for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections from the Sopore constituency. This development comes 11 years after Afzal was executed in Tihar Jail. Ajaz, who took voluntary retirement from his position at the Animal Husbandry Department in 2014, is currently working as a contractor. He has expressed his commitment to addressing the longstanding issues in Sopore, including employment opportunities, infrastructure development, and youth rehabilitation. He emphasised that the region has been "neglected by previous leaders," underscoring his desire to bring about meaningful change. Also read: India: Security forces gun down two terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir`s Udhampur, operation underway "The reason to enter Politics is that we have gone through a lot in the last 35 years. I cannot tell you anything in two minutes, it's a story of three decades," said Ajaz Ahmad Guru. Another candidate is the jailed cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, who is known as Sarjan Barkati and was a prominent face of protest rallies in the valley after the killing of Hizb Commander Burhan Wani. Sarjan and his wife both have been in custody and their daughter has come out and filed her father's nomination papers from Ganderbal and Beerwah assembly constituencies. Interestingly, Sarjan would be up against the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah for the Ganderbal seat. "I believe in the democracy of India, and I have full faith in it and that's why I am here. We are going to Beerwah as well. Democracy means where people are powerful, Sarjan saab has equal right to fight elections as someone outside the jail has. If he wants to come to this side of the fence he should be allowed to do so. I am hoping that people will support him. He is a political prisoner and ECI has made it very easy for people. His daughter and son are living like orphans, and no one has gone to help them," said Adil Nazir, Representative of Barkati. The other political leaders also include Syed Saleem Geelani of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and former head of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP); Javid Hubbi, the son of former Hurriyat leader Ghulam Mohammad Hubbi; Aga Muntazir Mehdi, contesting from Budgam is a prominent Shia cleric and the son of Hurriyat executive member Aga Syed Hassan. The list also includes Altaf Ahmad Bhat, a candidate of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) from Rajpora who is a social worker from South Kashmir’s Pulwama and the brother of jailed leader Bashir Ahmad Bhat, popularly known as Peer Saifullah. Kaleemullah, the son of the Jamaat's former general secretary Ghulam Qadir Lone. An engineer from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, who recently finished his doctorate, Kaleemullah is contesting from Langate in North Kashmir’s Kupwara. Additionally, Munir Khan, the brother of jailed Hurriyat leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan, is also planning to contest.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls 2024: Dozens of separatists, family members in election fray