By — Shyamal Sinha
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has extended his congratulations to Omar Abdullah on his coalition’s success in the recent Assembly Polls and his subsequent appointment as the Chief Minister of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a personal letter addressed to Abdullah, the Dalai Lama expressed his joy over the continued friendship between their families, stating, “As I have mentioned before, I have had the privilege of knowing three generations of your family from the days of Sheikh Abdullah to you. I treasure our friendship.”
His Holiness went on to wish the new Chief Minister success in overcoming the challenges ahead, while also encouraging him to seize opportunities to address the needs and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “I wish you every success in meeting whatever challenges may lie ahead and the opportunities arise to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” the Dalai Lama wrote.
Omar Abdullah, who served as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2009 to 2015, has once again taken on the role, leading a National Conference (NC)-led government after a successful coalition in the recent Assembly elections. The NC-Congress alliance, backed by other parties in the India alliance and four independents, secured a majority by winning 48 seats.
National Conference’s Omar Abdullah on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as the Union Territory got its first elected government after six years. Party MLA Surinder Singh Choudhary, who emerged as a giantkiller after defeating state BJP chief Ravinder Raina, was appointed Deputy Chief Minister, giving representation to Jammu in the new government.
The Congress opted out of the new Cabinet for now, citing its demand for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, as promised by the Centre, and said it would continue to fight for it.
On October 16, Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister in Srinagar. The 54-year-old vice president of the National Conference has become the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir since the region’s reorganisation in 2019, when it was downgraded from a state to a Union Territory.
