No cabinet berths for Congress in J&K? Omar Abdullah responds

NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister-elect Omar Abdullah dismissed speculation about a rift between the National Conference (NC) and the Congress , reaffirming the strength of their alliance. He said that Congress is not out of the cabinet while clarifying that some ministerial vacancies remain open for Congress as discussions continue.

"Congress is not out of the cabinet. It's for them to decide, and we have been in discussions with them. I will not be filling all nine vacancies in the council of ministers. Some will be kept open as we are in talks with Congress,” Abdullah told PTI ahead of his oath-taking ceremony in Srinagar.

“Everything is well between NC and Congress, otherwise, Kharge ji, Rahul ji, and senior Congress leaders would not be coming here. Their presence is indicative of the fact that the alliance is strong, and we will work for the people of the state," he added.

As he prepares to take charge, Abdullah said he hopes to collaborate with the Government of India but acknowledged the complexities of leading a Union Territory .

"I have some strange distinctions. I was the last chief minister to serve a full six-year term, and now I'll be the first chief minister of the Union Territory of J&K. While I'm happy about the former, the latter has its own challenges. I hope the Union Territory status is temporary, and I look forward to working with the government to address the people's issues. Restoring statehood would be the best way to begin," he told ANI.

Abdullah is set to take his oath as the chief minister at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. The ceremony will be overseen by Jammu and Kashmir's lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha, who will administer the oath to Abdullah and his new council of ministers.

The event will see the attendance of several prominent leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi , Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Supriya Sule from the NCP, and Kanimozhi from the DMK. Posters welcoming Rahul Gandhi have already been placed outside Srinagar airport.

This marks the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of the former state into two Union Territories. The NC-Congress alliance secured 48 seats in the recent assembly elections, with the National Conference winning 42 and Congress gaining six.