Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that the expansion and reshuffle of his Council of Ministers will take place next week, after he called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhawan in Srinagar, IANS reported. He said he had requested the Lieutenant Governor to fix a time during the first two or three days of next week for the exercise.

Source: IANS via DailyWorld

Omar Abdullah said the list of ministers had been finalised after consultations with National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah, IANS reported. Kashmir News Trust, reporting the same remarks, quoted him as saying: "The decision that had to be made has been made. Now please do not WhatsApp, do not call, do not knock on the door. Whatever has to be done will be done in the next two to three days."

Source: Kashmir News Trust (KNT)

The government has been functioning with six ministers including the Chief Minister, leaving three positions vacant under the maximum permissible strength of nine, Kashmir News Trust reported. The exercise is expected to bring new faces into the Council of Ministers and possible changes in portfolios, though no names of those likely to be inducted or dropped have been announced.

Source: Kashmir News Trust (KNT)

The Legitimate, also reporting Omar Abdullah's remarks after the meeting, said he appealed to party colleagues to be patient and to stop sending WhatsApp messages and biodata. Farooq Abdullah had told reporters last week that the expansion would take place after the Lieutenant Governor, who had not been keeping well, returned to Srinagar, IANS reported; Sinha returned on Friday after treatment in New Delhi.

Source: The Legitimate

Sources: IANS via DailyWorld, October 24, 2026; Kashmir News Trust (KNT), October 24, 2026; and The Legitimate, October 24, 2026, reporting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remarks in Srinagar.

Source: IANS via DailyWorld