New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated National Conference leader Omar Abdullah who became the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

In an X post, Modi wrote, "Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress."

Abdullah on Wednesday became the first Chief Minister of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, which was formed after bifurcation of the erstwhile state in 2019.

Abdullah, who took oath as the Chief Minister this morning, will head the first UT government since special status was withdrawn by the Modi government at the Centre in a historic step on August 5, 2019.

On the same date, the Centre bifurcated the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, namely Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

In its historic elections in September-October, NC-Congress alliance won 48 seats (42 of NC and 6 of Congress) with majority of them yielded from the Kashmir valley while the Bharatiya Janata Party swept the Jammu region winning 29 seats.

Abdullah on working closely with Modi govt

According to reports, Omar Abdullah might lead a government with good relations with the BJP-led central government.

Omar Abdullah's remarks since his party emerged as the single-largest in the Assembly elections have reflected a tone of cooperation, particularly with the Narendra Modi-led central government.

The election results showed a clear divide: the NC won the Valley, while the BJP dominated the Jammu plains, where the Congress managed only one seat.

"We are happy that someone from our alliance has become CM. Democracy has been established here after a long time. This is an opportunity to keep democracy alive and run the government as per the Constitution. We will ensure statehood for Jammu and Kashmir," said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Omar Abdullah recognizes the importance of coordination with the Centre, given that Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory where the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) and the Centre have significant influence over daily governance.

"We need to have coordination with the Centre. As many issues of J&K can't be resolved by fighting with the Centre," Abdullah said after the results were announced.

He further emphasized the need for smooth relations with both the L-G and the Union government: "I will make every effort to ensure that the incoming government works for smooth relations both with the LG and the Union government."

Omar also noted that the NC would likely have performed well even without the alliance with the Congress. "The alliance with the Congress wasn't about seats for us. We would have won the seats without the Congress, except probably one of them," he told India Today TV.

One of the new government’s priorities will be the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.

Abdullah expressed optimism about working with the Centre to achieve this goal, citing promises made by the Prime Minister and Home Minister during the campaign.

"In that respect, I believe the PM is an honourable man. He has promised the people while campaigning here that statehood will be restored. The honourable home minister did the same," Abdullah added.

The Central government has indicated that statehood will be restored when the time is right, but Omar Abdullah has also signalled that there will be no immediate confrontation on the issue of Article 370, which was revoked when Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its special status.

"Our political stance has never changed. It is foolish to expect the restoration of Article 370 from the BJP. We will keep the issue alive," he said, adding, "We will continue to bat for the restoration of Article 370 when the time is right."

The NC and BJP were partners in the past, with Omar Abdullah serving as a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government from 1999 to 2002.