Jammu: Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah on Tuesday expanded his cabinet and included four new ministers in the government. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Ali Mohammad Sagar, Altaf Ahmed Wani alias Altaf Kalu, Mir Saifullah and Shamima Firdous at Lok Bhawan in Srinagar. All four ministers come from Kashmir Valley. PDP and BJP leaders including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary, Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Which leaders got a place in the cabinet expansion?
All four leaders included in the Omar Abdullah government are associated with the National Conference and have political experience in their respective assembly constituencies. Among them, Ali Mohammad Sagar is a senior leader, while Mir Saifullah, Altaf Ahmed Wani and Shamima Firdous are also representing their areas in the assembly. With this expansion, the chief minister has been replaced by four new faces in the cabinet. The maximum number of ministers in Jammu and Kashmir can be nine.
Who is Ali Mohammad Sagar?
Ali Mohammed Sagar is the general secretary of the National Conference and has been elected MLA seven times. He won the election for the first time from Batamaloo assembly constituency in 1983. In 1987 also he won the same seat. In the 1996 assembly elections, he contested from Khanyar seat and won. After this, he retained the Khanyar seat in the 2024 elections also. In this election, he defeated independent candidate and former Deputy Mayor of Srinagar Sheikh Imran by 9,912 votes. As per available information, Sagar has not lost any assembly election so far.
What has been the political journey of Mir Saifullah and Altaf Kalu?
Mir Saifullah represents Tarehgam assembly constituency. He won the assembly elections for the first time from Kupwara seat in 1996. After this, he was successful in winning the elections in 2002, 2008 and 2014 also. In the 2024 elections, he won from Tarehgam seat and defeated Bashir Ahmed Dar of People’s Conference by about 4,000 votes.
Whereas, Altaf Ahmed Wani alias Altaf Kalu is the MLA from Pahalgam assembly constituency. He has won from this seat in 2014 and 2024. In the 2024 assembly elections, he defeated his party’s candidate Rafi Ahmed Mir by a margin of more than 13,000 votes.
Why is Shamima Firdous considered an important face?
Shamima Firdous came into politics from advocacy and is the president of the state women’s unit of the National Conference. She represents Habba Kadal assembly seat of Srinagar. With her appointment in the cabinet, women leadership has also got a place in the government. This appointment is considered important in view of his role in the party organisation and his representation in the Assembly.
Why is Congress staying away from the cabinet?
Despite being an ally of the Congress in the Jammu and Kashmir government, it has not joined the Council of Ministers. The party has kept its stand clear that unless the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir is restored, it will not join the cabinet. In such a situation, even after the swearing in of four new ministers, this political situation remains between the Congress and the government. The issue of restoration of statehood continues to be important in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir.
