Dual centres of power not to anyone's advantage: J&K CM

Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that the system of dual power centres in Jammu & Kashmir was to nobody's advantage — making a push again for the restoration of statehood for a region that has been a Union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

- Ashiq Hussain

This was Abdullah's first media conference in Srinagar after taking oath as CM on October 16 following a thumping win in the first assembly polls held since J&K ceased to be a state. While referring to the role of lieutenant governor (LG) and his own role as CM, Abdullah said that past two months were a learning experience to ascertain the elected government's authority, or lack of it.

"Dual centres of power are not to anyone's advantage. If a dual government or any organisation with dual systems of power was an effective means of governance or management, you would see it everywhere. An organisation has a chain of command but ultimately the authority is with one person. Whether it is in government, business, sports or security forces, ultimately systems work better when there is a single point of command," Abdullah said.