Preparation underway for Omar’s swearing-in on Oct 16

Srinagar: Preparations are underway for swearing-in of Omar Abdullah-led J&K government in Jammu and Kashmir. The ceremony is likely to take place on Wednesday as the Lieutenant Governor’s Office has recommended revocation of the President’s rule in the Union Territory.
The recommendation comes since the Assembly elections have been completed and NC leader Omar Abdullah staked claim to form new Government submitting letters of support of the MLAs crossing majority mark.
Reports said that the Lieutenant Governor’s Office has recommended revocation of Central rule in Jammu and Kashmir paving the way for formation of newly elected Government in the Union Territory, the first after revocation of Article 370 in the erstwhile State of J&K.
The announcement comes amid statement by Chief Minister-designate Omar Abdullah that the delay in the swearing-in of the new government was due to the need to follow the procedures for revoking the President’s Rule in the Union Territory.
“There is a procedure. There has been the President’s Rule here for the last six years. A Cabinet note is needed to end the President’s Rule which has to be sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which then goes to the home ministry.
“Then there were holidays –“ today it was Dussehra and tomorrow it is Sunday. God willing, if all these procedures are completed on Monday, then we will make our preparations on Tuesday and then God willing, we will take oath on Wednesday,” Abdullah had said.
He was talking to reporters after watching a match of the Legends League Cricket here.
When asked why there was a delay in government formation in the age of technology, Abdullah had said government formation has nothing to do with technology.
“We tried to form the government once through a fax machine, but the fax machine did not work. If you want to make our government through a fax machine, then we are in trouble. Please keep technology at your office, we will do it in our own way,” he had said referring to the claim for government formation by the NC, PDP and Congress in 2018.
The parties then had sent the claim through a fax machine to the Raj Bhavan. But the Raj Bhavan said it had not received the fax as the machine was not working and the then governor Satyapal Malik dissolved the Assembly.