Srinagar: The newly elected members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly were administered their oaths on Monday by pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made a notable entrance by taking his pledge in Kashmiri, marking a significant moment for the assembly.
Omar Abdullah, the 54-year-old Leader of the House, was the first MLA to take the oath. As the son of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and his British wife Mollie, Omar had previously faced criticism for his limited proficiency in his native language. While he is fluent in English, his skills in vernacular languages like Hindi, Urdu, and Kashmiri were considered lacking when he began his political career in the late 1990s. However, during his first term as chief minister from 2009 to 2014, he undertook lessons to improve his language skills, culminating in his oath-taking in Kashmiri on Monday.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary opted to take his oath in English. The ceremony signifies the end of a six-year legislative hiatus in Jammu and Kashmir.
Among the assembly’s members, 51 are first-time MLAs, including the youngest member, BJP's Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, who is just 29 years old. The oldest member, at 80, is Abdul Rahim Rather, a veteran from the National Conference (NC) representing Chrar-e-Sharief. Rather and party colleague Ali Mohammad Sagar (MLA Khanyar) have both been elected to the assembly for a record seven terms. Sagar has served since 1983, while Rather began his legislative career in 1977, though he lost the 2014 elections.
The National Conference emerged as the single largest party in the recent assembly polls held in September and October. As the oldest political party in Jammu and Kashmir, the NC has formed a government with external support from the Congress, which has six MLAs. Additionally, five independent MLAs, one from the AAP, and the CPI(M) have extended their support. The BJP secured 29 seats, marking its best performance ever in Jammu and Kashmir.
