LG Sinha administers oath to four ministers in Omar Abdullah-led JK govt

Suhail Khan 

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Srinagar, Oct 27 : Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday administered the oath of office to four National Conference legislators as ministers in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government, taking the Council of Ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine members.

Ali Mohammad Sagar, Shamima Firdous, Mir Saifullah and Altaf Kaloo were inducted into the Cabinet at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar in the presence of Abdullah and other political leaders.

The expansion marks the first major restructuring of the Omar Abdullah-led ministry since the National Conference formed the government following the 2024 Assembly elections. Independent minister Satish Sharma has been dropped as part of the reshuffle.

The Congress, which is an alliance partner of the National Conference, has stayed out of the government, maintaining that it would not join the ministry until statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir. The party will continue to extend outside support to the government.

The induction of the four legislators brings the Council of Ministers to its constitutionally permitted maximum strength, including the chief minister. The ministry will have seven members from Kashmir division and two from Jammu division.

The reshuffle has brought several experienced National Conference legislators into the ministry, with Sagar and Saifullah among the most senior leaders inducted.

Sagar, a seven-time MLA from Khanyar in Srinagar, has held ministerial positions in previous governments and is among the party’s senior legislators. His induction brings considerable legislative and administrative experience to the Council of Ministers.

Mir Saifullah, a four-time legislator, represented Kupwara for three terms before winning from the Trehgam constituency in the 2024 Assembly elections. He has also served as a minister in previous governments.

Shamima Firdous, a three-time MLA from Habbakadal, and Altaf Kaloo, a two-time MLA from Pahalgam who has also served in the Legislative Council, have been inducted into the ministry for the first time.

The choices reflect the National Conference’s decision to accommodate experienced legislators while maintaining regional representation in the government.

The four ministers represent different parts of the Kashmir Valley, with Sagar and Firdous from Srinagar district, Saifullah from north Kashmir and Kaloo from south Kashmir.

Firdous will be the second woman in the Council of Ministers after Sakina Itoo, who currently holds the portfolios of Health and Medical Education, Education, and Social Welfare.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, the National Conference MLA from Nowshera who defeated former Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina in the Assembly elections, remains the lone Hindu member of the ministry.

The allocation of portfolios to the newly inducted ministers is expected to determine their respective responsibilities in the administration.

The latest expansion has taken place without Congress representation in the Council of Ministers. The party has linked its decision to stay out of the government to the demand for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which was reorganised as a Union Territory in August 2019.

The National Conference and Congress contested the 2024 Assembly elections as alliance partners, after which the NC formed the government under Abdullah’s leadership.

The ministry initially included a limited number of members, with the latest exercise aimed at filling the remaining vacancies and accommodating senior party legislators.

With four new ministers taking oath and Sharma being dropped, the reshuffle completes a major reorganisation of the Council of Ministers nearly a year after the NC-led government assumed office in October 2024.