Srinagar: The much-awaited expansion and reshuffle of the Jammu and Kashmir Council of Ministers is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, with a swearing-in ceremony slated for 10:30 a.m. at Srinagar’s picturesque Lok Bhavan, where Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers, including the Chief Minister’s nominees for induction into the Cabinet.
The exercise is expected to complete the formation of the Council of Ministers headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, nearly months after the National Conference (NC)-led government assumed office following the Assembly elections held in October-November 2024.
In view of Jammu and Kashmir’s status as a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly comprising 90 elected members, the strength of the Council of Ministers is constitutionally capped at 10 per cent of the total Assembly strength, limiting the Cabinet to a maximum of nine members, including the Chief Minister.
At present, the Omar Abdullah government has only a six-member Council of Ministers, leaving three vacancies to be filled.
Days before the anticipated Cabinet expansion, the Chief Minister announced here that the names of the ministers to be inducted had already been finalised.
However, when Abdullah met Sinha at Lok Bhavan over the weekend, the final list of ministers to be sworn in had not been formally submitted to the Lt Governor.
Political circles remain abuzz with speculation over the likely composition of the expanded ministry.
It is widely rumoured that a couple of ministers currently serving in the Abdullah-led government may be dropped as part of the reshuffle, while several new faces could be inducted to bring the Council of Ministers to its full sanctioned strength of nine members.
The Cabinet exercise is being closely watched as it is expected to address regional, political and social representation within the government while strengthening the Abdullah-led administration ahead of its next phase of governance.
Following the October-November 2024 Assembly elections, the NC emerged with a comfortable majority, paving the way for Omar Abdullah’s return as Chief Minister.
However, when the government was formed, only a six-member Council of Ministers was sworn in, leaving room for a subsequent expansion once consultations within the ruling establishment were completed.
Congress, the NC’s alliance partner, is expected to continue extending support to the government from outside rather than seeking representation in the Council of Ministers.
Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony is, therefore, expected not only to fill the vacant berths in the Cabinet but also to signal the Chief Minister’s political priorities and administrative strategy for the remainder of the government’s tenure.
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