Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s announcement of a reshuffle and expansion in the cabinet, timed around the party’s protest on statehood in New Delhi, has shifted the entire focus to the proposed rejig in the council of ministers.
In an interview on Wednesday, CM Omar Abdullah said that the cabinet reshuffle and expansion would take place around the party’s Jantar Mantar protest programme. Since the CM’s announcement, speculations have been swirling about the contours of the rejig.
Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Union Territory cannot have more than nine ministers, as the permissible limit is capped at ten per cent of the total number of members in the Legislative Assembly.
Section 53 of the Act states: “There shall be a Council of Ministers consisting of not more than ten per cent of the total number of members in the Legislative Assembly, with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Lieutenant Governor in the exercise of his functions in relation to matters with respect to which the Legislative Assembly has power to make laws, except in so far as he is required by or under this Act to act in his discretion or by or under any law to exercise any judicial or quasi-judicial functions.”
With Jammu and Kashmir having a total of 95 MLAs, the permissible number of ministers under the Act works out to 9.5. Since the figure includes a fraction, the rule is that if the fraction is 0.5 or below, it is rounded down to the nearest whole number. Therefore, 9.5 becomes 9. On the other hand, if the fraction is 0.6 or above, it is rounded up to the next whole number, making it 10.
So, J&K cannot have more than nine ministers. With six ministers currently in place, three slots remain vacant in the council of ministers.
The cabinet expansion is taking place after ruling National Conference’s brainstorming session at Dachigam on June 03. The Chief Minister himself said that he feels it necessary to move forward with cabinet expansion and reshuffle after Dachigam meeting. What transpired at Dachigam is now widely known. The main highlight of the meeting was that Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary faced a torrent of criticism from NC legislators over fund allocation as well as his behaviour with legislators.
Two other ministers-Javid Rana and Satish Sharma-also faced criticism during the session.
The biggest possibility is that Surinder Kumar Choudhary may lose the key portfolio of the Roads & Buildings Department currently held by him. However, chances of him being dropped from the council of ministers or divested of the position of Deputy CM are slim, given that he is the seniormost Hindu MLA from Jammu region within the party.
The likelihood of a rejig in the portfolios of almost all ministers, including the Chief Minister, is very high. It is widely expected that Sakina Masood Ittoo and Javid Dar may be divested of less significant portfolios, considering their conduct over the past 20 months. Sakina Ittoo is regarded as one of the most effective ministers in the government and has played a key role in countering opposition parties.
Known for his quiet and diligent style of working, Javid is considered one of the most accessible ministers to MLAs.
The possibility of one minister being dropped from Jammu and replaced by someone from the region cannot be ruled out. However, that remains an even chance.
There is also a likelihood that two to three new faces from the Kashmir Valley could find a place in the cabinet. It will be interesting to watch whether Omar Abdullah keeps one berth vacant for the Congress in the government or fills it with a nominee from the NC.
All indications suggest that one new face each could be inducted from Central Kashmir and South Kashmir, where the party would not find it difficult to make its choices. There could also be one new face from North Kashmir, though the chances are not very high. Six MLAs from the region are reportedly eyeing induction in the council of ministers.
