Srinagar: The first Assembly session of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is set to begin on Monday here under tight security arrangements.
Focus on new government
The focus will be on the Omar Abdullah-led government, if it passes a resolution condemning the actions of August 5, 2019, and seeking the restoration of Article 370. While the National Conference during polls has promised to bring a resolution for 'restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A', the other parties have mounted pressure on the NC to pass such a resolution.
The coalition partners — the National Conference, Congress, CPI (M), and the independent candidates who have extended support to the government — are holding a legislative meeting this evening to devise their strategy for the session.
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Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government since 2018. During this period, the former state was bifurcated and downgraded to a Union Territory.
Session commence with obituary
The session will commence with obituary references. Following the obituary, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will address the newly elected members of the house. The election for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions will take place during the session.
On Sunday, the BJP elected Sunil Sharma as the Leader of the Opposition (LOP), and Narender Singh was named as the party candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker.
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Backgrounder
National Conference MLA Mubarak Gul from Idgah constituency was appointed as the Protem Speaker to oversee the proceedings until the Speaker is elected.
Officials said that all necessary arrangements have been made at the Assembly complex for the smooth conduct of the session.
Following Saturday's gun battle in Srinagar’s downtown area, in which a foreign Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was killed and four security personnel were injured, security has been intensified in the city ahead of the Assembly session. Security forces have established checkpoints on roads leading to the Assembly complex and are conducting random vehicle checks to ensure an incident-free session.
