J&K ministers hold meet as cabinet expansion today

Ahead of the J&K cabinet expansion, the sitting ministers gathered at the official residence of agriculture minister Javeed Dar for a meeting on Monday. Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary, forest minister Javeed Rana, sports & technical education minister Satish Sharma and MP Surinder Oberoi, considered close to chief minister Omar Abdullah, were among those present. Though there was no official communication, people familiar with the development said all five ministers have submitted their resignations to the CM.

Several meetings of prominent NC ministers and leaders are said to have taken place in Srinagar. On Saturday, Omar had clarified that the list of new council of ministers was prepared and no changes would be made.

NC chief spokesman and legislator Tanvir Sadiq said the legislators, who will be part of the council of ministers, would be informed about their oath at Raj Bhavan. The ceremony will take place in Srinagar Lok Bhawan auditorium at 10.30 am on Tuesday. "It is the prerogative of the CM to decide who will be in the council of ministers," he said.

This is going to be the first cabinet expansion of the Omar Abdullah-led government. It is likely that three cabinet berths will be filled tomorrow. Though Congress, which had contested the last assembly polls with the NC, was offered a single berth, the party has already made it clear that Congress will not be part of the government till statehood is restored. In the 90-member House, Congress has six legislators and the NC has 42.

Sources indicate that the administration may drop or shift up to two sitting members of the council of ministers to manage internal party dynamics and preserve regional representation between Jammu and Kashmir. Among prospective inductees, asssembly speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, a seven-time legislator with a finance background, is tipped for a cabinet role. Constitutional procedure requires Rather to formally step down as speaker before being sworn into the executive council, with senior NC leader Mubarak Gul reported as a likely candidate to succeed him in the chair.

The fresh expansion could take the strength of the cabinet to eight. Currently, three ministers are from Jammu and two from Kashmir. Several senior legislators are hopeful of securing cabinet berths. People familiar with the matter said that the CM is finding it very difficult to accommodate everyone as there are many aspirants for just three berths. The BJP, which is the main opposition in J&K, had mocked the CM, saying that he fears many legislators could break away from the party if they are not given a place in the council of ministers.