Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that the Cabinet expansion and reshuffle will happen early next week. He told party colleagues the list is already decided. "There is no need to knock on Farooq sahib's door or my door," he said, asking them to be patient.

J&K Cabinet is likely to be expanded and reshuffled next week and the decision has been made, says CM after meeting L-G Manoj Sinha.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said he had requested Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to fix a time early next week for a Cabinet expansion and reshuffle. Omar had a word for his National Conference (NC) colleagues as well: the list had already been decided and they should not call or WhatsApp him or party president Farooq Abdullah.

"A few days ago, he (L-G Sinha) returned to Srinagar. In between, he was not feeling well; so I wanted to ask him about his health. There were some issues on which it was necessary to talk to him and seek his opinion. I know you don't want to know about anything else. You want to know whether the (Cabinet) reshuffle was discussed with L-G sahib. Of course, it did happen. I requested him to fix the time in the first two to three days of next week for the reshuffle and expansion of the Cabinet. L-G sahib will fix the time and expansion will happen," the CM said after meeting Sinha at the Lok Bhavan here.

While speculation about the Cabinet expansion and reshuffle has been in the news for the past several months, Omar hinted at one of the reasons for the delay: the difficulty in filling nine berths -- three are vacant at the moment -- from a list of around 50 aspirants.

The CM said many of this party's legislators were calling him and sending him their CVs seeking a Cabinet berth. "The decision on who will become a minister has been made. The list is ready after consultations with Farooq Abdullah sahib. I would like to request my colleagues to be patient. There is no need to knock on Farooq sahib's door or my door or somebody else's door. It will not be decided now who will become a minister. It has already been decided," he said.

Omar said he was receiving long WhatsApp messages from his party colleagues. "I am getting WhatsApp messages and long messages ... Full biodata are being sent to me as if I don't know them," he said.

A difficult choice

The J&K CM's message to his party colleagues reflects the difficulty in choosing who will get a place in the Cabinet. Since the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the J&K Cabinet can have nine ministers, including the CM. At the moment, the government has six ministers, including Omar, and there are only three vacant berths. To drop any of the current ministers is not going to be an easy decision, especially since they had been inducted keeping in view regional, sectarian, and social balance.

Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary and Transport Minister Satish Sharma were chosen to give representation to Jammu, which overwhelmingly elected the BJP candidates in the last Assembly elections. Forest and Ecology Minister Javid Rana has been the architect of the NC's influence in Pir Panjal and a prominent Gujjar leader. Health Minister Sakeena Itoo was chosen to give representation to South Kashmir, being the senior-most party leader from the region. Omar himself represents central Kashmir, while Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar represents North Kashmir.

As a National Conference leader put it, the decision to choose the ministers is like "eik anaar, sau beemar" -- the idiom refers to the many seekers for something that is scarce -- for Omar.

Omar's biggest challenge will be to keep the senior colleagues such as Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, Mubarak Gul, Ali Mohammad Sagar and Mir Saifullah in good humour, especially as they feel sidelined over the new blood inducted into the party. Many of these leaders have been senior to Omar in the party, having been colleagues of his father, and see a Cabinet berth as a matter of right, according to party insiders. Several leaders such as Sagar, Mohammad Akbar Lone, and Mian Altaf are pushing for their legislator sons to make it to the Cabinet.

On the other hand, the younger lot, especially those seen close to the CM, are hopeful that they will also be rewarded for their efforts and given an opportunity to prove themselves on the governance front.

Another challenge for Omar is to give representation to Chenab Valley of Jammu, the only region that didn't get representation in the Cabinet in 2024.