President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir was officially lifted on Sunday, clearing the way for the formation of a new government in the union territory. The Union Home Ministry issued a gazette notification to announce the decision.
The notification, signed by President Droupadi Murmu, stated: “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, read with Articles 239 and 239A of the Constitution of India, the order dated October 31, 2019, concerning the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be revoked immediately before the appointment of the chief minister under Section 54 of the Act.”
This decision follows the victory of the National Conference-Congress alliance in the recent Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference, has been chosen as the leader of the alliance and will become the next chief minister.
Central rule was first imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on October 31, 2019, after the state was split into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. This act, passed by Parliament on August 5, 2019, also abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to the former state.
Before the territory’s formal division, central rule had been in place since June 2017 when then-chief minister Mehbooba Mufti resigned after the BJP withdrew support from the PDP-led government.