Omar Abdullah faces tough job to accommodate all alliance partners
Srinagar, Oct 15: As the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is set to witness its first elected government being sworn in on Wednesday, the Chief Minister-designate will head a cabinet with nine ministers.
It won’t be easy for him to accommodate all alliance partners and ensure representation from all districts.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah was invited by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday to take the oath as Chief Minister and administer the oath to his cabinet.
“I am pleased to invite you to form and lead the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. As separately settled, I shall administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to you, and to those recommended by you for induction as members of your Council of Ministers, at SKICC, Srinagar, on 16 October, 2024, at 11:30 am,” Sinha wrote in a letter delivered by LG’s Principal Secretary Dr. Mandeep Kumar Bhandari to the Chief Minister-designate.
Omar will have the support of 55 legislators, ensuring a stable and strong government. In addition to the NC’s 42 legislators, Omar’s government will have the backing of six Congress legislators, five independents who have extended their support to the NC, and one legislator each from CPI (M) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Omar’s cabinet will be small and limited as per the J&K Reorganisation Act implemented after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The Act stipulates that the council of ministers must be 10 percent of the total members of the legislative assembly. This means that, besides Omar himself, the cabinet will have eight ministers. Given the small number of positions, Omar faces tough choices in selecting members from his party and the allied parties.
Sources say that all alliance partners, including independents, have been seeking ministerial positions in the cabinet. “However, the Omar Abdullah-led cabinet will have only nine ministers. There will be a rotation of ministers so that a maximum number of MLAs who supported him are included in the cabinet over the next five years,” a senior NC leader said.
In his first cabinet, Omar is likely to include representatives from both the Jammu region and Kashmir.
“There will be three to four MLAs from Jammu who will be part of the cabinet. Surinder Choudhary, Satish Sharma, Pyare Lal Sharma, and Javed Rana are likely to be accommodated to ensure fair representation from the Jammu region,” the NC leader added.
According to sources, the Congress is expected to receive one ministerial berth, with Ghulam Ahmad Mir or Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed likely to be included in the cabinet. The AAP, with only one MLA, is unlikely to receive cabinet representation.
Sources also suggest that NC leaders Farooq Ahmad Shah, who won from Gulmarg, Sakina Yatoo, MLA from DH Pora, and Mir Saifullah are likely to secure ministerial positions.