Srinagar, Oct 26 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is set to expand his Council of Ministers on Tuesday, with a reshuffle of the existing cabinet also on the cards after all five ministers submitted their resignations to him on Monday, highly placed sources told Kashmir News Service (KNS).
The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 am at Lok Bhavan, formerly Raj Bhavan, in Srinagar, where Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers.
Sources said the resignations of all five ministers have been placed before the Chief Minister, who is likely to decide which ministers will continue and who will make way for new faces.
A close associate of the Chief Minister told KNS that the submission of resignations was a routine exercise ahead of the cabinet expansion.
The Omar Abdullah-led Council of Ministers currently comprises six members, including the Chief Minister, leaving three ministerial berths vacant.
Sources said the expansion could also involve changes in the existing ministerial team, with the final decision resting with Omar Abdullah.
Meanwhile, senior National Conference leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Rajya Sabha MP Shami Oberoi, Satish Sharma and Javed Rana, met at Minister Javed Dar’s Church Lane residence in Srinagar on Monday.
Speaking exclusively to KNS after the meeting, Javed Dar dismissed speculation surrounding the gathering, saying it was not a secret meeting but an informal interaction among colleagues over tea.
“We had already decided to sit together for tea. We discussed party matters, and there was no secret meeting,” Dar told KNS.
Asked about the proposed cabinet expansion and the possibility of ministers being dropped, Dar said the decision rested entirely with the Chief Minister.
“It is the Chief Minister’s prerogative who is keeping whom and who is dropping whom. We have no knowledge about it,” he said.
Under Section 53 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Council of Ministers, including the Chief Minister, cannot exceed 10 per cent of the total membership of the Legislative Assembly. With 90 elected seats, Jammu and Kashmir can have a maximum of nine ministers, including the Chief Minister.
The proposed expansion will be the first since the National Conference-led government assumed office in October 2024.
While three vacant berths are available, the number of new inductions could change if the Chief Minister decides to replace any sitting minister.
The names of legislators likely to be inducted and ministers expected to be dropped have not been officially announced so far. (KNS)
