Srinagar, Oct 26 (KNO): Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will administer the oath of office and secrecy on Tuesday morning to the legislators being inducted into the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Sources told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that National Conference veteran leader Ali Muhammad Sagar and legislator Altaf Ahmad Kaloo are among the frontrunners for the ministerial berths.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Lok Bhavan Auditorium, Srinagar on Tuesday at 10.30 am and will be attended by J&K's top politicians and bureaucrats.
Sources disclosed that four MLAs are being inducted into the council of ministers — three from the Valley, one each from north, south and central Kashmir, and one from the Jammu province.
They said Ali Muhammad Sagar and Altaf Kaloo are being inducted into the cabinet while Satish Sharma could be dropped from the council of ministers.
With this expansion, the number of ministers in the council would go up to eight, with one slot likely to be kept vacant for the Congress.
It has been learnt that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had approached the Congress high command in August to ask whether they would like to avail a berth in the ministry, but they have not responded to the offer.
Sources said that the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee was divided over whether to be part of the government.
Following the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow, there would be a massive rejig in the portfolios of ministers, they said
"The Chief Minister would relieve himself of few portfolios as well as effect massive changes in the portfolios of his council of ministers," they said—(KNO)