Assembly Elections 2024: Omar Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, but its ally Congress chose to stay out of power despite both parties contesting the elections together and securing a majority. Omar took the oath in a historic ceremony held at the scenic SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake. Along with him, five other leaders were sworn in by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The MLAs who took the oath were chosen to ensure representation for both the Jammu and Kashmir regions, including women. While the ceremony was a grand event, one unanswered question lingered: why did Congress pull back at the last moment and decide to stay out of the government?
Although Congress tried to pacify the situation by playing the statehood card. The party said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to restore statehood once an elected government and representatives were in place, and since both conditions have been met, they are now waiting for the PM to fulfill the promise before joining the government. Indian National Congress General Secretary G.A. Mir reiterated that the Congress Party has strongly demanded that the Centre restore statehood to J&K.
However, the real motive behind staying out of the National Conference government is said to be the upcoming assembly elections. Sources within Congress suggested that the decision to remain out of government is a strategic move, keeping in view the upcoming major elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
These sources said that the National Conference’s manifesto focuses on restoring Article 370, and people voted for them with that expectation. The National Conference government might pass a resolution in the first assembly session stating that the events of August 5, 2019, were unconstitutional. Had Congress been part of the government, the resolution could have backfired in the rest of the country with the BJP cashing on the issue using the nationalism plank. While Congress has not openly admitted this, they acknowledge that the leadership may have factored this into their decision.
Irfan Hafiz Lone, a Congress MLA, said, “The party leadership was authorized to make the decision. The leadership in J&K and Delhi may have thought that joining the government would not benefit the people. It was a small cabinet, and there were many pressures. Some people are interpreting it differently, but we will continue to serve the people.”
On the other hand, the National Conference has once again emphasized its commitment to the fight for restoring Article 370. They acknowledged that they have a dual role—running the government and opposing the revocation of Article 370.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by prominent leaders from the INDIA Bloc, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AICC Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav, and D. Raja. It was not just a swearing-in ceremony but also a display of unity by the INDIA Bloc ahead of the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections.
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