Ruling NC to reshuffle, expand J&K Cabinet on October 27; ally Congress to stay away

Ruling National Conference (NC) on Monday (October 26, 2026) geared up for the upcoming reshuffle and expansion of the Council of Ministers, as all five ministers submitted their resignations to the party high command in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, the Congress decided against joining the government, citing “Union Territory status as a reason”, in spite of top leadership of the NC reaching out to the Congress high command in Delhi. 

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will administer the oath of office and secrecy to legislators into the Council of Ministers at Lok Bhavan Auditorium in Srinagar on October 27.

“The Cabinet expansion is set for Tuesday. It’s entirely the Chief Minister’s prerogative. He will decide whom to retain or whom to drop. We have no knowledge about it,” said NC leader and minister Javed Dar.

The Council of Ministers, under Section 53 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, cannot exceed 10% of the 90-member assembly. As a Union Territory, J&K can only have a maximum of nine ministers, including the Chief Minister.

At present, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has five ministers in the Cabinet, and three berths have remained vacant for the past two years, with the ally Congress reluctant to join the government. So far, Mr. Abdullah’s Cabinet has reflected a regional balance, including the Hindu belt of the Jammu division that otherwise did not vote for the party. The Cabinet had two Hindu faces, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Satish Sharma.

Party sources said top leaders of the NC were in touch with the Congress high command in Delhi and advocated for the ally to join the government in J&K. However, J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra reiterated the party's stand that it “would not join the Council of Ministers until Statehood is restored and would not compromise its principled stand for a Cabinet berth”.

“The Congress had been campaigning for the restoration of Statehood for the past two years, even before the formation of the elected government in J&K, and remained firm on its position. Until the Statehood status of J&K is restored, the Congress will not become a part of the Cabinet,” said Mr. Karra.