Delay in swearing-in of new govt due to procedural needs: Omar Abdullah

There has been the President's Rule here for last six years. A Cabinet note is needed to end President's Rule which has to be sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which then goes to the home ministry

Chief Minister-designate Omar Abdullah Saturday said the delay in the swearing-in of the new government in Jammu and Kashmir was due to the need to follow the procedures for revoking the President's Rule in the Union Territory.

"There is a procedure. There has been the President's Rule here for the last six years. A Cabinet note is needed to end the President's Rule which has to be sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which then goes to the home ministry.

"Then there were holidays --? today it was Dussehra and tomorrow it is Sunday. God willing, if all these procedures are completed on Monday, then we will make our preparations on Tuesday and then God willing, we will take oath on Wednesday," Abdullah said.

He was talking to reporters after watching a match of the Legends League Cricket here.

When asked why there was a delay in government formation in the age of technology, Abdullah said government formation has nothing to do with technology.

"We tried to form the government once through a fax machine, but the fax machine did not work. If you want to make our government through a fax machine, then we are in trouble. Please keep technology at your office, we will do it in our own way," he said referring to the claim for government formation by the NC, PDP and Congress in 2018.

The parties then had sent the claim through a fax machine to the Raj Bhavan. But the Raj Bhavan said it had not received the fax as the machine was not working and the then governor Satyapal Malik dissolved the Assembly.

On the cricket league in Srinagar, the NC leader said it is good to watch cricket matches under lights in the city.

Abdullah, whose current favourite cricketer is Virat Kohli, said his government would want to host cricket matches, including the IPL, here.

"We want them to happen and we have to revamp our infrastructure for that.

"We have to increase infrastructure at our cricket stadium. Then we can request the BCCI to hold matches here," he added.