Srinagar, Oct 25 : With the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet expansion scheduled for Tuesday, the National Conference (NC) leadership faces the task of balancing competing claims from legislators, particularly in North Kashmir, where the party won 11 Assembly seats in the 2024 elections.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is scheduled to administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at 10.30 am. The expansion is expected to test the party’s approach to seniority, electoral performance and regional representation, with the number of aspirants exceeding the available vacancies.
According to details available Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar recorded the highest victory margin among the NC’s North Kashmir legislators in the 2024 Assembly elections, defeating independent candidate Mursaleen Aajir by 20,356 votes. Kar polled 26,975 votes against Aajir’s 6,619.
Uri MLA Sajjad Shafi secured the second-highest margin, defeating independent candidate Taj Mohiuddin by 14,469 votes. Shafi received 39,713 votes, while Mohiuddin polled 25,244. In Baramulla, NC MLA Javid Hassan Baig won by 11,773 votes.
Other NC legislators from the region include Qaysar Jamshaid Lone (Lolab), Saifullah Mir (Trehgam), Javaid Ahmad Mirchal (Karnah), Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), Hilal Akbar Lone (Sonawari), Javaid Riyaz (Pattan) and Pirzada Farooq Ahmed Shah (Gulmarg). Rafiabad MLA Javid Ahmad Dar is already part of the Cabinet, holding the agriculture and allied portfolios.
However, electoral margins are only one factor in the selection process. According to party sources, the leadership is also weighing seniority and legislative experience, with preference likely to be given to legislators who have served multiple terms rather than first-time MLAs.
Names being discussed include senior legislator Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, while Altaf Ahmad Kaloo is among the other names doing the rounds sources said.
The limited number of vacancies has added to the challenge. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, the Council of Ministers can have a maximum of nine members, including the Chief Minister. With six members currently in place, three berths remain to be filled.
The Congress, an ally of the NC, has sought two ministerial positions but has maintained that it will not join the government until statehood is restored, leaving the final composition of the expanded Cabinet uncertain.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary has dismissed speculation about lobbying and resignations, saying Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC president Farooq Abdullah are familiar with the capabilities of individual legislators.
The Chief Minister has also asked party legislators to stop sending messages and making calls to press their claims for ministerial positions.
“Please stop sending WhatsApp messages. I am receiving endless, lengthy messages… entire books are being written, sending full biodatas as if I don’t know who they are! I already know them and their work,” Omar said.
“Whatever has to happen will take place in the next two to three days,” he added.
The selection process has put the spotlight on how the party intends to reconcile the expectations of legislators who cite their electoral mandates with those who rely on seniority and experience.
For North Kashmir, Kar’s victory margin in Sopore and Shafi’s electoral performance in Uri provide a basis for their claims, while other legislators can point to their political experience and contribution to the party.
With only three vacancies and no official list of inductees announced, the expansion will offer an indication of how the NC leadership intends to accommodate competing ambitions while maintaining cohesion within its legislative ranks. (KNS).
