Srinagar, Oct 26: Four legislators are set to be inducted into Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's council of ministers in Jammu and Kashmir, with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha scheduled to administer the oath of office and secrecy at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar at 10:30 am on Tuesday, October 27, Kashmir news agencies KNS and KNO reported on Monday.

Source: KNS via Kashmir Frontier

The expansion is the first major restructuring of the National Conference-led government since it assumed office in October 2024. The official list of incoming ministers has not been formally announced, and reports differ on some names.

KNS reported, citing highly placed sources, that the Chief Minister has finalised the induction of Ali Mohammad Sagar, Altaf Ahmad Kaloo, Shameema Firdous and Mir Saifullah, and that incumbent minister Satish Sharma will be dropped. KNO separately reported that four MLAs are being inducted — three from Kashmir and one from the Jammu province — with Sagar and Kaloo among the frontrunners and Sharma likely to be dropped, and said a major portfolio reshuffle would follow the ceremony.

Source: KNO via Asian Nama

KNS also reported that Omar Abdullah personally contacted Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra on Monday evening for the party's final decision on accepting a cabinet berth. According to KNS, Karra declined, reiterating that the Congress would not join the ministry until Jammu and Kashmir's statehood was restored, and conveyed that the Chief Minister could proceed to fill the berth reserved for the party.

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the council of ministers can comprise a maximum of nine members, including the Chief Minister. The sworn-in composition and portfolios will be confirmed at Tuesday's ceremony.