📅 July 02, 2026, Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has indicated that his government is likely to undergo its first Cabinet reshuffle and expansion around July 20, 2026, nearly two years after assuming office. The proposed exercise is expected to bring new faces into the Council of Ministers while also involving a reshuffle of key portfolios.
The Cabinet expansion is likely to take place a few days before or after July 20, when National Conference (NC) Members of Parliament and MLAs are scheduled to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
At present, the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has six members, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, leaving three vacancies under the constitutional limit. As a Union Territory with a 90-member Legislative Assembly, Jammu and Kashmir can have a maximum of nine ministers, including the Chief Minister, in accordance with the 10 percent cap on the size of the Council of Ministers.
Currently, the Cabinet comprises Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Health, Medical Education, Education and Social Welfare Minister Sakeena Itoo, Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Javid Dar, Public Health Engineering, Irrigation & Flood Control and Forest Minister Javed Rana, and Transport & Sports Minister Satish Sharma.
Sources indicate that besides inducting new ministers, the Chief Minister is also considering a reshuffle of ministerial portfolios. Several ministers presently handle multiple departments, while Omar Abdullah himself retains charge of major portfolios including Finance, Revenue, General Administration, Housing & Urban Development, Tourism, and several others.
If no existing minister is dropped, the Chief Minister can induct up to three new ministers to fill the remaining vacancies. Political observers are also watching whether the Congress, despite being a pre-poll alliance partner of the National Conference, will receive representation in the Cabinet. Although the NC and Congress contested the Assembly elections together, the Congress currently has no minister in the government.
The National Conference holds 41 seats in the 90-member Assembly, while the Congress has six MLAs. The government also enjoys the support of CPI(M) MLA M.Y. Tarigami and five Independent legislators, giving it a comfortable majority in the House.
According to reports, discussions on governance and organisational matters were held during a meeting of NC legislators chaired by Omar Abdullah at Dachigam on June 3, where some MLAs reportedly expressed concerns over the distribution of development funds and administrative functioning. Congress legislators were not part of that meeting.
Political sources believe that carrying out the reshuffle around July 20 would provide newly inducted ministers sufficient time to settle into their responsibilities before the next Assembly session scheduled for September.
An official announcement regarding the Cabinet reshuffle and expansion is awaited.
