Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday appointed Mubarak Gul, a senior National Conference (NC) leader and MLA from the Eidgah constituency, as the pro-tem speaker of the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

In a letter dated October 18, Sinha cited Section 24 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, to formalize the appointment. “The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, in pursuance of Section 24 of the J&K Reorganization Act, 2019, has appointed Mubarak Gul as Speaker Pro-tem. He will administer the oath/affirmation to all members of the J&K Legislative Assembly in Srinagar on October 21, 2024, at 2:00 pm,” the letter said.

The Legislative Assembly Secretariat in Srinagar also issued a bulletin requesting all assembly members to attend the session on the scheduled date to take their oaths. “All Hon’ble Members of the J&K Legislative Assembly are requested to kindly attend for making and subscribing the oath/affirmation,” the bulletin said.

The NC-Congress alliance secured a decisive victory in the recent assembly elections, held for the first time in ten years. The NC emerged as the largest party with 42 seats, while Congress added six to the coalition’s tally.

Omar Abdullah, who was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, chaired his inaugural cabinet meeting on Thursday at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar. Abdullah, who previously served as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014, leads the new government following these historic elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delivered a strong performance, winning 29 seats, followed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with three seats. The People’s Conference, CPI-M, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) each secured one seat, while seven seats went to Independents.

The results of the three-phased elections in Jammu and Kashmir were declared on October 8. This was the first election in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

(Inputs from ANI)