Four new ministers were sworn in on Tuesday as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expanded his council of ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine. The oath of office was administered by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhawan in Srinagar. The new inductees, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shameema Firdous, and Altaf Ahmad Wani (Kalloo), represent constituencies in the Kashmir Valley.

During the ceremony, Sagar took his oath in Urdu, while Saifullah, Firdous, and Wani opted for English. This reshuffle followed the submission of resignations by all sitting ministers to the Chief Minister. Notably, Sports and Technical Education Minister Satish Sharma was the only minister removed from the cabinet.

In a strategic decision, the National Conference (NC) chose to induct a legislator from Kashmir instead of including a representative from Jammu. Consequently, Jammu is now represented by only two ministers in the cabinet: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Minister Javeed Rana.

Details of the New Ministers

Ali Mohammad Sagar, the general secretary of the National Conference, has a long political career, having served as an MLA for seven terms. He first won the Batamaloo seat in 1983 and retained it in 1987. Following this, he moved to Khanyar, where he won in 1996 and secured his seat again in 2024 by a margin of 9,912 votes against independent candidate Sheikh Imran.

Mir Saifullah is a four-time legislator who previously represented the Kupwara constituency three times. Following the delimitation process, he won from the newly formed Trehgam constituency in the 2024 elections. Shameema Firdous, the president of the party’s women’s wing, is a first-time minister who was elected from the Habbakadal constituency for her third term in 2024.

Altaf Ahmad Wani (Kalloo) represents Pahalgam and enters the council of ministers for the first time, having been elected for his second term. The induction of Firdous means that the cabinet now includes two women members, joining Sakina Itoo.

Congress Declines to Join Government

The Congress party, which secured six seats in alliance with the National Conference, has opted not to join the government. Party leadership has reiterated its position that it will not accept cabinet positions until full statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir.

Attending the swearing-in ceremony alongside Omar Abdullah were Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, NC President Farooq Abdullah, and various MLAs from both ruling and opposition parties, including the BJP and the PDP.

This cabinet expansion is significant as it reflects the current political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir, where the council of ministers is capped at 10 per cent of the 90-member assembly under Union Territory regulations. With this latest development, the cabinet now comprises nine ministers, including the Chief Minister.

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