Congress will not be part of the Omar Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir and it will support the government from outside, said the sources on Wednesday. The local unit of Congress wanted the Congress to be part of the government, but the party high command was unhappy with the performance in the UT, so it was decided that instead of giving ministerial posts to a few leaders, pressure should be maintained on the local unit to strengthen the organization in Jammu and Kashmir, they added.
The development comes hours before the oath-taking ceremony of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The stage is set for Abdullah to be sworn in as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the National Conference-Congress alliance won the maiden assembly elections held after the abrogation of Article 370. The NC won 42 out of the 90 seats, while ally Congress bagged six. Five Independent MLAs and a lone AAP MLA also declared their support to the Omar government.
Rahul, Kharge, Priyanka to attend Omar Abdullah's swearing-in ceremony in Srinagar
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi are scheduled to attend the oath-taking ceremony of CM-elect Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.
The oath of office and secrecy will also be administered to Abdullah's chosen ministers by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11.30 am at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).
"Rahul Gandhi, Kharge ji, and Priyanka ji are scheduled to participate in the oath ceremony tomorrow," a senior Congress leader said. He said that some chief ministers and representatives of some states will also attend the event.
Congress appointed Ghulam Ahmad Mir as its Legislature Party leader in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Security has been tightened around the venue of the swearing-in ceremony.
