President’s Rule revoked in J&K, clears path for formation of Omar Abdullah govt
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has revoked the President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir, clearing the way for the formation of a new National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance government after the recently concluded Assembly elections in the Union Territory, said an official order.
A gazette notification regarding this order was issued by the Union Home Ministry.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019) read with Articles 239 and 239A of the Constitution of India, the order dated October 31, 2019, about the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall stand revoked immediately before the appointment of the Chief Minister under Section 54 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019,” said the notification signed by President Murmu.
The decision comes after NC Vice-President Omar Abdullah met with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday to stake claim to form a new government after the recently concluded Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Assembly election in the Union Territory was conducted after a decade. The NC and Congress formed an alliance that emerged victorious in the J&K Assembly polls winning a total of 48 seats, with the NC playing a pivotal role in their success, while the Congress managed to win only six seats. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, consisting of 90 seats, witnessed a three-phase polling process.
The NC-Congress alliance is set to form the government.
Omar Abdullah will be the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He has been elected as the leader of the alliance.
President’s Rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on October 31, 2019, following the formal bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, was passed by the Parliament on August 5, 2019.
Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted a special status to the erstwhile state, was also abrogated on that day.
Before October 31, 2019, the Central rule was continuing in the erstwhile state from June 2017 after the resignation of the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti when the BJP withdrew support to the PDP-led government.