LG Sinha approves J-K Cabinet’s resolution on full statehood

SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha cleared a resolution passed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet urging the Centre to restore the statehood of the Union Territory.

The Cabinet’s resolution called for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood “in its original form.” The move is seen as a significant step towards reinstating the identity of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Cabinet has authorised the Chief Minister to take the matter up with the Prime Minister and the Centre. A government spokesperson stated, “The Chief Minister will visit New Delhi in the coming days to meet with the Prime Minister and Union Ministers regarding the restoration of statehood.”

The Cabinet also set the date for the first session of the newly elected Legislative Assembly, which will be held in Srinagar on November 4. The Lieutenant Governor has been advised to summon and address the Assembly at the start of the session.

Additionally, the Cabinet also recommended Mubarak Gul be appointed as Protem Speaker to administer the oath to the newly elected Assembly members on October 21. The Lieutenant Governor has issued the order, appointing Gul as Protem Speaker until a permanent Speaker is elected.

The draft address of the Lieutenant Governor to the J&K Assembly at the beginning of the first session has also been placed before the council of ministers which the Council decided shall be further considered and discussed.

Omar Abdullah took the oath as the first Chief Minister of the J&K after it became a Union territory on Thursday. He served as the chief minister of the erstwhile state from 2009 to 2015.

In the September-October Assembly polls held after a decade, the National Conference-Congress alliance won 48 of 90 Assembly seats. The National Conference emerged as the single largest party, winning 42 seats and the Congress got six.