With the BJP’s vote share higher than the NC’s in a polarised verdict, new Chief Minister brings three Jammu faces to the Ministry, including two Hindus; next step may be to restore the annual move of the capital between Srinagar and Jammu
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took over as the first Chief Minister of the five-year-old Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday against the backdrop of the monumental changes the region has witnessed since 2019.
Dropping his previous belligerence on the abrogation of Article 370, Mr. Abdullah has sought to tread the path of reconciliation, evident from the fact the new government’s starting point has been to address the regional and religious divide in J&K.
The composition of the J&K Council of Ministers reflects a rare bid by the National Conference (NC) leadership to build a healthy relationship with the plains of Jammu, whose voters overwhelmingly opted for the BJP, helping the party to win 29 out of Jammu’s 43 seats. The Ministry has 10 berths, including of the Chief Minister. Of the six who took oath on Wednesday, including Mr. Abdullah, three were from the Jammu region and three from the Kashmir region.
The CM picked two nonMuslim members and one prominent Muslim face from the Jammu region.
Surinder Kumar Choudhary, the NC MLA for Nowshera in Jammu, was offered the post of Deputy Chief Minister. Another Hindu face is Satish Sharma. The third Minister is Javed Ahmad Rana.
The J&K election verdict fell along regional and religious lines, except for islands such as Inderwal, where a Hindu Independent candidate Payare Lal Sharma defeated a Muslim candidate Gulam Mohammad Saroori.
On the one hand, voters from the three valleys of J&K — Kashmir, Pir Panjal and Chenab — elected candidates from the NC, Peoples Democratic Party, Congress, Awami Ittehad Party, and J&K Peoples Conference, as well as Independents. On the other hand, the plains of Jammu, especially Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts, voted only for the BJP.
Mr. Abdullah may have laid the foundation of a government based on secular values, but there is a long way to go to bridge the gap between regions with divergent aspirations. The the annual shifting of the capital between Srinagar and Jammu could be the second step.