Surinder Kumar Choudhary took oath as Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister in the Omar Abdullah cabinet on Wednesday along with eight other ministers.
Who is Surinder Kumar Choudhary?
Surinder Kumar Choudhary represents Nowshera constituency in Jammu. He was formerly a member of PDP and BJP.
Choudhary defeated BJP's Jammu and Kashmir President Ravinder Raina in the assembly polls in Nowshera by 7,819 votes.
In 2014 assembly elections, Choudhary who represented PDP back then, was defeated by Raina in Nowshera. Later, he quit PDP in 2022 and became a BJP member. However, within a year, he jumped ship to join National Conference in July 2023.
Why did Omar Abdullah pick Surinder Kumar Choudhary as J&K Deputy CM?
Omar Abdullah, who is the vice president of National Conference, said he chose Choudhary as deputy chief minister because he wanted to give a voice to the people of Jammu. He added that he wants the new government to be inclusive.
"Our endeavour is to take everyone with us," Abdullah told reporters after his swearing-in ceremony at Sher-e-Kashmir on Wednesday afternoon.
"I had said that we will not allow Jammu to feel that they do not have a voice or representatives in this government," added the CM.
He said Choudhary was picked so that the people of Jammu would feel that this government is as much theirs as it is of the rest.
Other ministers in the cabinet include Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary and Satish Sharma. Abdullah said the remaining three vacancies will be gradually filled.
