Omar Abdullah expands J&K cabinet with four new ministersKashmir

The ruling National Conference’s ally, the Congress, has decided to stay away from the government until statehood is restored, according to the report.

Who the new ministers are

Mr Sagar, 68, who represents the Khanyar constituency in Srinagar, is an old hand in the National Conference and has served as a minister in the past. He and his son Salman Sagar won two seats from Srinagar district in the 2024 elections.

Ms Firdous, who represents Srinagar’s Habba Kadal constituency, becomes the second woman minister in the cabinet after Sakina Itoo from Kulgam in south Kashmir. The National Conference won seven of the eight seats in Srinagar district in the 2024 Assembly elections.

The induction of Mr Kaloo, who represents the Pahalgam constituency, gives additional representation to south Kashmir, while Mr Saifullah, the legislator from Trehgam in Kupwara, adds to the representation of north Kashmir, a stronghold of the party.

Why the expansion matters

Under Section 53 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Council of Ministers in the Union Territory cannot exceed 10 per cent of the 90-member Assembly. For the past two years, Mr Abdullah had governed with only five ministers, according to The Hindu.

The expansion comes as the National Conference government completes two years in power. Reports ahead of the reshuffle had suggested that ministers Javed Rana and Satish Sharma were expected to be dropped; on Tuesday, it was confirmed that Mr Sharma had been dropped, while Mr Rana’s position remained unclear.

With Mr Sharma’s exit, the Jammu region’s mainland districts — Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua, which voted overwhelmingly for the BJP in the 2024 elections — no longer have representation in the cabinet, according to the Indian Express.

The reshuffle is being seen as an attempt to broaden the government’s regional and social base, with the new inductions covering Srinagar city as well as north and south Kashmir. The new ministers received late-night calls from the National Conference leadership ahead of the ceremony, and Mr Saifullah thanked the party president for including him, ETV Bharat reported.

Mr Abdullah’s government will now look to the expanded cabinet to push its legislative and administrative agenda, with the new ministers expected to be allocated portfolios in the coming days.