SRINAGAR, OCT 30: Discontent within the ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference appears to have intensified following the recent cabinet expansion, with 18 legislators, including 17 NC MLAs and one Independent member, reportedly holding a meeting in Srinagar on Friday to discuss the reshuffle and formulate a common course of action.
According to sources, the meeting was held at the residence of an NC legislator, where participants discussed their dissatisfaction with the recent cabinet expansion, which they reportedly described as unfair to several legislators who had been left out of the exercise.
Sources told that the legislators discussed seeking the replacement of four ministers who were part of the original Council of Ministers formed in October 2024. The group reportedly maintained that the ministers had completed two years in office and that new faces should be given an opportunity in the government.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of growing resentment among a section of ruling alliance legislators over their exclusion from the expanded ministry. As many as 11 MLAs supporting the ruling alliance, most of them belonging to the National Conference, had reportedly stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony of four newly inducted ministers on October 27.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently expanded his Council of Ministers by inducting senior NC legislators Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shamima Firdous and Altaf Ahmad Wani, popularly known as Altaf Kaloo. Independent MLA Satish Sharma was dropped from the ministry as part of the exercise.
With the latest inductions, the Council of Ministers has reached its maximum permissible strength of nine members, including the Chief Minister.
The four ministers whose replacement is reportedly being sought were among the five legislators who took oath alongside Omar Abdullah when the NC-led government assumed office on October 16, 2024. The fifth member, Satish Sharma, has since been removed from the Council of Ministers.
The latest meeting signals continued unease among sections of the ruling party over the distribution of ministerial positions and representation in the government. However, the reported demand for changes in the existing ministerial team is based on sources and no formal decision or official communication on the matter has been made public so far.
