SRINAGAR — Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday allocated portfolios to eight ministers in the Omar Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir government following the recent cabinet expansion, assigning key departments, including Finance, Revenue, Power Development, Education and Rural Development.
The allocation came a day after four legislators were inducted into the Council of Ministers, completing its maximum permissible strength of nine members, including the Chief Minister. According to Government Order No. 1690-JK(GAD) of 2026, dated October 28, Omar Abdullah will retain charge of all departments and subjects not allocated to any minister.
Under the order, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary has been assigned Public Works (Roads and Buildings), Industries and Commerce, Labour and Employment, and Skill Development.
Senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Sagar has been entrusted with Revenue, Power Development, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR), and Election departments.
Sakeena Masood Itoo will handle Health and Medical Education and Social Welfare, while Javed Ahmad Rana has been assigned Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Tribal Affairs and Transport.
Javid Ahmed Dar has been allocated Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperatives, placing the government’s financial administration alongside key sectors of the rural economy under his charge.
Mir Saifullah will oversee Planning, Development and Monitoring, Culture, Youth Services and Sports, and Administrative Reforms, Inspections and Trainings (ARI and Trainings).
Shamim Firdous has been assigned School Education, Higher Education and Jal Shakti, while Altaf Ahmad Wani will handle Forest, Ecology and Environment, along with Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
The Lieutenant Governor issued the order under Rule 4(2) of the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019. The order was signed by Sinha and published for general information by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo.
Dar says another Cabinet reshuffle possible after 18 months
Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Javid Ahmad Dar has indicated that another reshuffle could take place after 18 months, potentially creating opportunities for National Conference legislators who were not accommodated in the recent expansion.
Speaking to the news agency KNS, Dar said discussions had taken place about giving other legislators an opportunity to serve in the Cabinet after one-and-a-half years.
“It has also been decided that after one-and-a-half years, some more colleagues will be given an opportunity. There may be another change after 18 months,” Dar told KNS.
He urged legislators who had missed out on ministerial positions to remain patient, saying the present arrangement was not necessarily permanent. “I believe those colleagues who could not become ministers this time will, God willing, get an opportunity in the future,” he said.
Dar pointed to the constitutional limit on the size of the Council of Ministers under Jammu and Kashmir’s current Union Territory arrangement, saying it was not possible to accommodate every aspiring legislator. “We are presently a Union Territory, where only nine people can become ministers. Earlier there were five, and now four more have been inducted,” he said.
He also expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would eventually be restored, potentially creating greater scope for political representation. “I hope the day will come when statehood is restored. It may take a few months. Those colleagues who are disappointed today may then get an opportunity to work in the cabinet,” Dar said.
Acknowledging that legislators had aspirations to become ministers, he said the leadership had to make decisions within the existing limitations. “Everyone has the right to aspire to become a minister. But the circumstances are such that only a limited number can be accommodated,” he said.
Dar defended the decisions taken by Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, saying the selection of ministers had been made after considerable deliberation. “I believe the decisions taken by the Chief Minister and Dr Farooq Abdullah were made after considerable thought. Other colleagues should also understand this,” he said.
He appealed to party legislators to remain united and continue supporting the leadership despite disappointment over the allocation of ministerial berths. “We should all stand with our party leadership. We have placed our trust in them, and we will continue to do so,” he said.
Dar also congratulated the four newly inducted ministers and expressed confidence that other legislators would have opportunities to contribute to governance in the future.
While the portfolio allocation formally defines the responsibilities of the ministers following the reshuffle, Dar’s remarks suggest that the accommodation of legislators left out of the expansion could remain a subject of discussion within the National Conference. No formal announcement of another cabinet reshuffle has been provided.
