National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir but this time of the Union Territory (since the bifurcation of the state into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh) -- on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old Omar Abdullah is upbeat about the mandate the people gave him to become the Chief Minister of J&K for the second time, but there are some pitfalls awaiting him.
Under the J&K Reorganization Act, the state government can have only nine Ministers, including the CM. Omar must ensure representation to both Jammu and Kashmir provinces, and several different ethnicities, given the complexities of the UT, within that limited number.
The house that Omar Abdullah occupied as the Chief Minister, and was made to vacate after abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of the rule that provided every former Chief Minister an official accommodation till life, has been freshly painted and refurbished.
He is expected to shift to this residence on the high-security Gupkar Road, a stone's throw away from the residence of his father, NC Chief and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, on the same street.
People were seen lined up outside the residence of the Abdullahs in the morning to greet Omar Abdullah on his new assignment.
-IANS
