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NC strikes regional balance with ministerial picks
Three spots were given to leaders from the Jammu region, including that of CM Omar Abdullah’s deputy
National Conference’s Omar Abdullah on Wednesday took oath as the new Jammu and Kashmir chief minister with a five-strong council of ministers, picked meticulously to ensure a regional balance. Three spots were given to leaders from the Jammu region, including that of Omar’s deputy.
The move holds significance given that most of NC’s seats in the assembly polls came from the Kashmir and Pir Panchal region of Jammu, with principal opponent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sweeping the Jammu heartland.
As Omar took oath, for the first time, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, assembly member from Rajouri, was given the portfolio of deputy CM. Jammu got two more ministerial berths, with Javeed Rana, a Gujjar community leader, and Satish Sharma, the independent from Chamb, also finding space. If the NC leaders are to be believed, four more berths are available with the new CM besides a post of speaker and deputy speaker and Jammu could get two more berths in the government.
Earlier, Omar had a day after the results declared that his government will be an inclusive one and representation will be given to all the groups and regions.
Besides Jammu region, Omar has also ensured representation for South Kashmir by giving a berth to DH Pora legislator Sakina Itoo and North Kashmir through Rafiabad’s Javid Ahmad Dar.
Deputy CM Surinder Chowdhary said giving the post to Nowshera was a “big honour” for the people, adding, “Earlier we couldn’t get the post of minister. Now the post of deputy CM has been given to our region and for the entire Jammu region. Those people who were saying Jammu should get representation, Omar has shown that NC is a party which doesn’t believe in disparity and Jammu is as equal for leadership as Kashmir.”
“The people who raise voices of disparity should first try to get lieutenant governor from Jammu and then they can dictate things to others,” he added.
Zafar Choudhary, who has written a book on Kashmir conflict and Muslims of Jammu, said Omar took note of Omar trying to strike the balance, saying. “As Omar is sworn in as CM after a massive victory, the NC has done an unprecedented outreach to Jammu, the region which gave sweeping verdict to BJP in 29 out of 43 constituencies.”
“A deputy CM and two ministers in a cabinet of six is an essential communication to the electorate of Jammu to tell them that times will have to be created to look at the electoral battles beyond the prism of religion,” he added.
Choudhary said the party was looking beyond its core constituency and trying to reach out to the region and communities that have not favoured it in the past few decades, adding, “This new political environment also creates opportunities of importance for the Rajouri-Poonch region which traditional stood on the margins of politics of Kashmir versus Jammu.”
“It is also the first time since 1975 that a deputy CM is from the same party as the CM,” he said, likening the cabinet to that ofSheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s first term as the CM.
