SRINAGAR: The first session of the newly-elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, post Article 370 abrogation, would be held from Monday. Both the ruling National Conference-led alliance and opposition BJP formulated their strategies for the five-day session and it remains to be seen whether NC would move a resolution on Article 370 in the House as promised by the party before coming to power.
The first business of the newly elected Assembly is to elect the Speaker. The voting for the Speaker will take place at 10.30 am and senior NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather, who won his first Assembly election in 1977, would be first Speaker of J&K UT Assembly as he has been nominated by the party for the coveted post.
After the Speaker’s election, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha would address the legislators. It would be interesting to note whether the L-G spells out the agenda of the Omar Abdullah government especially on restoration of statehood in his address or goes by his own agenda.
The Assembly session is taking place amid surge in militant violence in J&K after Omar government took charge following the Assembly polls, which was first since Article 370 abrogation.
It remains to be seen whether the Omar-led NC government would move a resolution in the Assembly condemning August 5, 2019 decisions and seeking restoration of Article 370.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped Articles 370 and 35A, which granted special status and special privileges to J&K residents, and downgraded and bifurcated erstwhile J&K state into two UTs. The NC-Congress alliance won the first Assembly polls in J&K post Article 370 abrogation and formed the coalition government, which is also backed by five independents and a CPM MLA. The BJP legislators on Sunday met in Srinagar and elected Sunil Sharma as legislature party leader and Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly.
The party has decided to give a tough time to NC-led government and oppose any move on introducing resolution on Article 370 restoration, sources in BJP said. The NC-Congress, five independen ts and CPI (M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami supporting the Omar government held a meeting in Srinagar to chalk out strategy for the first session.