Omar Abdullah likely to expand Cabinet next week, five NC leaders to be inducted, 2 to be dropped: Report

Congress to stay out, Independents unlikely to be inducted; Mubarak Gul tipped for Speaker’s post

Srinagar, October 10: Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to expand his Council of Ministers next week in Srinagar, with five National Conference (NC) leaders expected to be inducted and two sitting Ministers dropped, Daily Excelsior has reported.

The report, published by the Jammu-based newspaper says the proposed reshuffle would take the Council of Ministers to its maximum permitted strength of nine, including the Chief Minister.

According to the report, the five NC leaders likely to join the Cabinet are Abdul Rahim Rather, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Nazir Gurezi, Altaf Kalloo and Aijaz Jan. The proposed expansion would be the first Cabinet reshuffle since Omar Abdullah assumed office in October 2024.

The report says the party leadership intends to give preference to senior legislators, with no first-time MLA expected to be inducted.

Rather, a seven-time MLA who represents Charar-e-Sharief, is expected to vacate the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly ahead of the expansion. Mubarak Gul, a senior NC legislator who has previously served as Speaker, is reportedly under consideration to succeed him.

Sagar, who represents Khanyar, is also a seven-time MLA. Gurezi represents the Gurez constituency, while Kalloo represents Pahalgam and Jan represents Poonch. Four of the five legislators are from Kashmir division, while Jan represents Jammu division.

Two Ministers likely to be dropped

The proposed expansion is expected to involve the removal of two sitting Ministers, with their resignations to be forwarded to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for acceptance, according to the Daily Excelsior report.

The oath-taking ceremony is expected to take place in Srinagar, with the Lieutenant Governor administering the oath of office and secrecy to the incoming Ministers. Portfolios are also likely to be reshuffled following the induction.

The report states that the Chief Minister has obtained resignations from the existing Ministers, although the identities of the two Ministers expected to be dropped were not specified in the report.

Congress to stay out of government

The Congress is unlikely to join the Council of Ministers, with the party maintaining that it will not enter the government until Jammu and Kashmir is restored to statehood, the report says.

The Congress contested the 2024 Assembly elections in alliance with the National Conference but chose not to join the government after the election. It continues to extend support to the NC-led government from outside.

The report also says the NC leadership has decided against inducting Independent MLAs into the Council of Ministers.

Expansion ahead of government’s second anniversary

The proposed reshuffle comes as the Omar Abdullah-led government approaches the completion of two years in office on October 16.

Speculation over a Cabinet expansion has persisted for several months. Omar Abdullah had recently indicated that the exercise would take place after the GST Council meeting in New Delhi, which was held on October 8.

Under the applicable limit on the size of a Council of Ministers in a Union Territory with a legislature, Jammu and Kashmir’s 90-member Assembly permits a maximum of nine Ministers, including the Chief Minister.

Ziraat Times has not obtained official confirmation of this proposal so far.