Ishtiyaq Kar
Srinagar, Oct 26 (KINS): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to expand his Council of Ministers on Tuesday, with three to four legislators expected to take oath at a ceremony scheduled for 10:30 am at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar, sources said.
The proposed expansion is expected to fill the vacant positions in the Council of Ministers and bring changes to the composition of the National Conference-led government, which took office after the Assembly elections in October-November 2024.
National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said on Monday that the names of the new ministers would be decided by the party leadership, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and party president Farooq Abdullah. He said the list was expected to become clear by Monday evening.
Ahead of the proposed expansion, all five ministers in the existing Council of Ministers have submitted their resignation letters to the Chief Minister, sources said. The final decision on whether to accept the resignations or retain any of the ministers rests with Omar Abdullah, they added.
Sources told the news agency, Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that three to four legislators could be inducted into the Cabinet on Tuesday. There is also a possibility that one of the existing ministers may be dropped as part of the reshuffle, although the final composition of the expanded ministry had not been officially announced at the time of filing this report.
Omar Abdullah met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhavan on Saturday and sought time for the swearing-in ceremony. The meeting came amid preparations for the long-awaited expansion of the Council of Ministers.
The Council of Ministers currently has six members, including the Chief Minister, while the maximum permitted strength is nine, according to the constitutional limit applicable to Jammu and Kashmir’s 90-member Legislative Assembly. The proposed expansion is expected to fill the three vacant positions and complete the ministry’s composition.
Omar Abdullah took oath as Chief Minister in October 2024 after the National Conference emerged as the largest party in the Assembly elections and formed the government with the support of its allies. The initial Council of Ministers was limited to six members, leaving scope for further expansion after consultations within the party leadership.
The induction of new ministers is being closely watched in political circles, with attention focused on the legislators who may be selected and the possibility of changes among the existing ministers. The final decisions are expected to reflect the party leadership’s choices for the next phase of the government’s tenure.
The Congress, which contested the Assembly elections in alliance with the National Conference, has so far remained outside the Council of Ministers. Its position in relation to the proposed expansion had not been formally clarified in the information available on Monday.
Meanwhile, Tanvir Sadiq also responded to the controversy surrounding recent remarks by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Pakistan, saying the statement had been taken out of context.
Sadiq said the complete speech referred to the tribal invasion of Jammu and Kashmir and the injustices associated with Pakistan. He accused the BJP of highlighting only a part of the speech for political purposes.(KINS)
