Omar vacates from Budgam, takes pledge in Kashmiri
Srinagar: Newly sworn-in Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, along with 85 others Monday took oath as members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Pro-tem Speaker, Mubarik Gul, administered oath to the elected members of the J&K Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister was the first to take the oath followed by his council of ministers and other MLAs
Congratulating the newly elected MLA’s, Pro-tem Speaker expressed hope that they would raise the issues related to the public welfare in a total professional manner. He exhorted upon the legislators to work collectively so that the journey takes a smooth and steady pace for welfare of the people.
He said that the Omar Abdullah led government will take everyone along for steering Jammu and Kashmir towards new heights of peace, progress and prosperity. He also thanked all the concerned departments for making all the arrangements for smooth conduct of the oath ceremony.
The Pro-tem Speaker also announced that Omar Abdullah has vacated the Budgam assembly seat while retaining the Ganderbal constituency. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took the pledge in the Kashmiri
According to the Associated News Bureau (ANB), the 54-year-old Leader of the House was the first MLA to administer the oath Omar Abdullah, son of Farooq Abdullah and his British wife Mollie Abdullah, had often faced criticism for not being able to speak his native language.
There are 51 first-time members including BJP MLA from Kishtwar Shagun Parihar, who is the youngest member at 29. The NC veteran and MLA from Chrar-e-Sharief, Abdul Rahim Rather, is the oldest at 80.
Rather and party colleague Ali Mohammad Sagar (MLA Khanyar) have been elected to the assembly for a record seven terms.
While Sagar has been a member of the Legislative Assembly since 1983, Rather started his long stint as a legislator in 1977. However, the former finance minister lost the 2014 assembly elections.
The NC has 42, the BJP 29, the Congress six, the PDP three, the CPI-M, the AAP, and the Peoples Conference one each. There are 7 Independents. The Congress, the CPI-M, the AAP and 6 independents are supporting the NC Government.
