Srinagar, Oct 30: The recent cabinet expansion by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has triggered rift in ruling National Conference with more than two dozen disgruntled NC MLAs and independent legislators supporting the government on Friday held a closed door meeting to chalk out future strategy.

Sources in NC said the meeting was held at the residence of Lolab MLA Qaiser Jamsheed Lone.
They said about 25 NC MLAs and independent legislators supporting the government attended the meeting to express their displeasure over non inclusion of senior and deserving leaders in the cabinet
Sources said NC MLA Nazir Ahmed Gurezi, former Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul and Anantnag West MLA Abdul Majid Larmi, Basheer Ahmed Veeri, Hilal Akbar Lone (Sonawari), Aijaz Ahmad Jan (Poonch Haveli), Khursheed Ahmad (Gulabgarh) and others attended the meeting.
The NC MLA Gurezi has confirmed the meeting but downplayed its political significance saying the legislators were invited by Qaiser for a meal.
Sources said all the disgruntled MLAs in today's meeting expressed their displeasure over recent cabinet reshuffle and asserted that the CM should have taken seniority and merit into consideration for the reshuffle.
On Tuesday four NC MLAs --- Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shamima Firdous and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo were inducted in the cabinet and administered oath of office by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha at the Rajbhavan. The CM dropped minister Satish Sharma from the cabinet over his alleged poor performance.
At least 11 NC MLAs did not attend the oath taking ceremony. Among them was Gurezi, who had been widely discussed as a possible ministerial entrant.
Gul, a former Assembly Speaker and senior National Conference figure, had also been sidelined and not included in the cabeint.
Following his exclusion from cabinet, he and his supporters are very angry.
In order to pacify Gul, NC president Farooq Abdullah appointed him the party's general secretary, the organisational position previously held by Ali Mohammad Sagar.