- By Aditya Jha
- Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:14 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Veteran National Conference leader and seven-time MLA, Abdul Rahim Rather on Monday was unanimously elected as Speaker of the first Assembly of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. 80-year-old Rather was elected as speaker as soon as the House assembled at 10.30 am after Javaid Ahmad Dar, Minister for Rural Development, and Panchayati Raj moved a motion for choosing his for the speaker position, PTI reported.
The pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul declared his election as the speaker after the opposition parties decided not to contest for the post. Leader of House Omar Abdullah and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma escorted him to the Speaker’s chair.
Abdul Rahim Rather has a vast experience as a lawmaker, as he has spent multiple decades in politics. Rather has served as minister in cabinet’s of Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah, and Omar Abdullah. Rather completed his post graduation in political science in 1968 at the University of Kashmir and later did LLB in 1971 at Aligarh Muslim University. He first registered victory in the 1977 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election from the Charar-i-Sharief Assembly constituency. He won the seat consecutively in the polls of 1983, 1987, 1996, 2002, and 2008.
However, he had to face defeat in 2014 when he lost to Ghulam Nabi Lone of JKPDP to end his over 30-year hold on the Charar-i-Sharief Assembly constituency. Rather made a strong comeback in the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir election as he was elected for his 7th term. Rather has held several important ministries, including finance, in the previous National Conference governments. JKNC emerged victorious in the assembly polls of 2024 by winning 42 out of the total 90 seats in the Union Territory. This was the first poll in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 and the declaration of Jammu and Kashmir as the Union Territory.