#SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today paid homage to police martyrs on Police Commemoration Day during a solemn ceremony at the Police Martyrs Memorial here at Zewan.

Accompanied by members of his Council of Ministers, Javed Ahmad Rana and Javid Ahmad Dar, as well as Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, the Chief Minister led the gathering in offering floral tributes to honor the sacrifices of the brave policemen.

Among the recently elected Members of the Legislative Assembly, Farooq Ahmad Shah, Sheikh Ahsan, Mushtaq Guru, and Rafiq Ahmad Naik, also participated in the tribute ceremony, laying floral wreaths at the memorial in recognition of the courage and dedication of the martyrs.

In addition to the Chief Minister, several senior officials were present to pay their respects, including Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Director General of Police J&K Nalin Prabhat, Additional Chief Secretary Jal Shakti Shakeen Kabra, and Principal Secretary Home.

After the tribute ceremony, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited a blood donation camp set up as part of the event. He expressed his appreciation for the individuals who donated blood, commending their spirit of selflessness in contributing to the welfare of the community.

#SRINAGAR: The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha administered the Oath of Office to Mubarik Gul as Speaker pro tem of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly at a ceremony held in Raj Bhawan.

#KISHTWAR: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, yesterday visited the fire-ravaged Warwan Valley in Kishtwar district, where scores of homes were gutted in a devastating fire that swept through Mulwarwan village on October 15.

The Chief Minister, who assumed office just a day earlier on October 16, met with the affected families, offering his condolences and assuring immediate relief and long-term support to help them rebuild their lives.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma, and senior civil and police officials.

During his visit, Omar Abdullah expressed his government’s commitment to standing by the victims of the tragedy in their hour of need.

“This is our moral responsibility as a government to reach out to you in this difficult time,” Omar told the affected families.

“We are here to help you rebuild your lives. The district administration has already provided initial relief, and I have ordered additional support,” he added.

The Chief Minister further announced that his government has initiated efforts to secure further financial assistance through the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, ensuring that the families will receive additional aid to meet their immediate needs.

He also highlighted that the affected families would be provided housing assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, helping them to rebuild their homes and start afresh.

In a bid to prevent similar incidents in the future, Omar Abdullah announced the establishing of two new fire service stations in Warwan and Marwah. Additionally, he announced the construction of a proper road leading to the villages, ensuring better access and reducing the risk of fire-related disasters in the remote area.

“Our focus is on both immediate relief and long-term solutions. We must ensure that such tragedies are not repeated,” the Chief Minister emphasized.

#SRINAGAR: The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha has appointed Shri Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister of J&K UT. Further, as advised by the Chief Minister, the Lieutenant Governor has appointed the following as Members of the Council of Ministers –

1. Surinder Kumar Choudhary

2. Sakina Itoo

3. Javed Ahmed Rana

4. Javid Ahmad Dar

5. Satish Sharma

The Lieutenant Governor administered the Oaths of Office and Secrecy to the above Members of the Council of Ministers at a ceremony held in the SKICC, today.

#SRINAGAR: In Jammu and Kashmir, all arrangements have been put in place with security being tightened in and around the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister of J&K tomorrow.

Along with his Council of Ministers, will be administered the oath of office by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11:30 AM tomorrow. The Lieutenant Governor extended an official invitation to Omar Abdullah yesterday, marking a pivotal moment for the Union Territory as J&K prepares to have an elected government for the first time in over a decade. Omar, who had staked a claim for government formation last week, met with the Lieutenant Governor on Friday and presented letters of support. President Draupadi Murmu issued a notification ending the President’s rule in J&K and clearing the way for the new government to take charge.

The last time assembly election was held in the erstwhile state in 2014, leading to a PDP-BJP coalition government. However, that government collapsed in June 2018, and J&K was placed under President’s rule. In 2019, the region was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh after the abrogation of Article 370, stripping the region of its special status.

The recently held three-phase election concluded with the National Conference-Congress alliance securing 48 out of the 90 assembly seats, with Omar Abdullah’s National Conference taking the lead.

The Congress secured six seats, while the BJP dominated in the Jammu region, winning 29 seats. Senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani said that a large number of people want to attend the oath taking ceremony and everything will be clear by the evening who will come to attend the oath taking ceremony

#JAMMU: The J&K Assembly election results delivered several surprises as over 30 former ministers lost their seats, with many being defeated by first-time candidates.

A total of 873 candidates contested across 90 assembly constituencies. Of these, 47 seats are in Kashmir and 43 in the Jammu region. The vote counting took place today, with the National Conference securing 42 seats, followed by the BJP with 29, Congress with 6, JKPDP with 3, and the remaining seats claimed by smaller parties and independents.

However, the most significant outcome was the defeat of over 30 former ministers, many of whom were beaten by newcomers. Among the former ministers who lost elections were Abdul Gaffar Sofi, Usman Majeed, Vikar Rasool, Muzaffar Beigh, Lal Singh, Manohar Lal, Chowdhary Zulfikar, Altaf Bukhari, Harsh Dev Singh, Tara Chand, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, Ghulam Nabi Lone, Abdul Majeed Paddar, Sartaj Madni, Abdul Majeed Wani, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, Aesia Naqash, G M Saroori, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Hakeem Yaseen, Sajad Kitchloo, Nasir Aslam Wani, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Imran Ansari, Mohammad Khalil Bandh, Abdul Gani Vakil, Abdul Rehman Bhat, Jugal Kishore, Taj Mohiuddin, Mehboob Beigh, Mushtaq Bukhari and Basharat Bukahri. Notably, around 15 of these ministers had won the 2014 elections on the PDP ticket.

In this election, however, many either ran as independents or joined other parties such as the Apni Party and Peoples Conference. J&K is now set to have an elected government for the first time in 10 years, following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The J&K Assembly elections were held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. Voter turnout in the first phase was 61.38%, decreasing to 57.31% in the second phase before rising to 69.65% in the final phase. The overall voter turnout stood at 62.78%. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the PDP secured 28 seats while BJP won 25 seats all in Jammu. This was followed by NC 15, Congress 12.