Minutes before taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah said there is "a lot" to do in the union territory. This will be the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. The oath-taking ceremony will be held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.


Omar said being a chief minister of a union territory is a different matter altogether.
"I have some strange distinctions. I was the last chief minister to serve a full six-year term. Now I'll be the first chief minister of the Union territory of J&K. The last distinction, as in the one of serving six years, I'm quite happy about. Being a chief minister of a Union Territory is a different matter altogether. It has its own challenges. I hope that the status of a union territory is a temporary one. We look forward to working in cooperation with the government of India to resolve the people's problems and the best way to do that would be to start by restoring statehood to J&K," he said.


He said Jammu and Kashmir has gone through difficult times. "People have many expectations and our challenge is to live up to them. We have a lot to do. We have to give people the hope that this is their government and they will be heard. They were not being heard for the last 5-6 years. It will be our responsibility to listen to them and act on it," he added.


Congress Will Not Be Part Of Omar Govt: Sources


Meanwhile, ABP News sources have learnt that the Congress party will not be part of the Omar Abdullah cabinet. 
Congress and the National Conference forged a pre-poll alliance to contest the elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which took place after a decade. On Friday, Congress extended support to the NC for government formation after the meeting of its legislature party members.


Meanwhile, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Srinagar for the oath-taking ceremony.